


100

by nctsatan127



Series: 100 [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2021-01-23 07:36:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 59,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21316546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nctsatan127/pseuds/nctsatan127
Summary: "Someone must stop the monsters who have taken over what we used to call home."Jaehyun was 19, his sister 12. They were taken from their family, the only explanation being they were going to save the world.Taeyong had other plans. He had been in this prison for long enough. Falling for Jaehyun was the final push he had been waiting for.
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Moon Taeil
Series: 100 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1536724
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Jaehyun smiles softly as he slowly made his way to the couch where his sister and mother were already seated. The pair both smiled up at him as he took his seat next to them.

His father followed shortly, having finally finished putting away the clean dishes. He gets comfortable in his recliner chair before starting to flick channels on the TV.

"What should we watch?" The older man raises the question. Not to anyone in particular, leaving it open for anyone to respond.

"Depends, would it be a bad idea to watch a little bit of the news?" Jaehyun's mother suggests, raising her hand to scratch the back of her neck.

"Hye" Jaehyun calls the name of his younger sister softly. The young girl turns her head to look at him as she hums in response.

"Do you want to go upstairs and watch something?" He asks her, his tone quiet. Their parents continue to discuss whether it is worth watching the news as this happens.

Hye shakes her head firmly, not hesitating to do so.   
"I think we should stay out here tonight. I want to spend time with mom."

Jaehyun just pokes his tongue out at her, causing her to mimic his expression in return.

"20 minutes. No more. No less" Their father states firmly as he flicks the channel once more.

Why is the news dangerous to watch? Because every report has something to do with the monsters which swarm the streets of this so called Earth.

It scares Hye.

"We have a special guest who is here to inform us all of a decision which has been made." The reporter speaks clearly through the screen.   
"Please welcome our head of defences, Kim Doyoung."

At the mentioning of his name, both Mr and Mrs Jung frown, watching on with tight expressions.

A tall male in a black suit walks into the news studio, his black hair has been pushed back with a comb and his overall appearance seems to be neat...Too neat.

"Good evening all. It is a pleasure to be with you this evening." He smiles as he speaks, though Jaehyun can tell his expression is completely fake.

"I have come to issue some news to the people in a certain area. Soon a map will appear on the screen, showing you which areas will be affected tonight."

Instinctively, Jaehyun moves closer to his younger sister. He is old enough to know exactly what this man on the TV is going to say next.

"As you all know, The Sorcerer is collecting all kids, ages varying from 0 - 20 years old. These young children are the hope for the new society. Using state of the art facilities, we are training these young people to have the skills needed to fight for a peaceful future. I'd like to direct your eyes to this map. Any children within the highlighted areas will be collected tonight. A friendly reminder to not put up a fuss when you're collected. Our men won't hesitate to harm the families. And that wouldn't make anyone smile."

Jaehyun's heart nearly stops as he sees their city has been highlighted on the map. He turns to look at his father who immediately switches off the TV.

"You two need to hide" His mother exclaims as she rushes off her seat on the couch. Jaehyun stands alongside his sister.

"Where? Mom what are we meant to do?" Hye cries, her voice is panicked, eyes beginning to fill with tears.

Mrs Jung hushes her daughter as she rushes over to her, gently wrapping her arms around the young girl.

"Jae, a word" Mr Jung pats his son's shoulder. The young man nods as he follows his father out of the living room to where they can have some privacy to talk.

"We can run away, all of us. That way they won't find us and they won't take Hye and I away" Jaehyun suggests before his father has a chance to talk.

"My son, we won't be able to protect you. Doyoung's men will be here any moment. I wanted to tell you that no matter what, your mother and I will always be with you" The older man speaks quietly.

"You're speaking as though we will never see each other again. Father stop, stop talking like that" Jaehyun clenches his fists at his sides.

His father steps forward and pulls his son in for a hug. The pair hold onto each other tightly, each silently knowing that this will be the last opportunity for this to happen.

"You have to look after your sister. She's young and she'll need you more then anything" Mr Jung explains.

"I'll never let her out of my sight" Jaehyun promises, pulling away from his father. The older man smiles at his son, a proud expression.

"My handsome son" Mr Jung's tone drips with adoration.

The moment is interrupted as the sound of knocking on the front door echoes through the house. No one moves as they all know exactly who is behind the locked door.

Mrs Jung does her best to hold back on her tears as she clutches her daughter. She isn't ready to let go. She won't let go. They'll have to take someone else's kids, not hers.

Jaehyun and Hye aren't leaving.

"This will be a lot simpler if you just open the door Mr Jung!" A cheerful voice yells through the door.

Mr Jung tenses where he stands before his son. The pair holding eye contact. The older man grabs a knife from the bench before exiting the kitchen.

Jaehyun rushes after him, knowing that knife will only lead to his father being killed.

Mrs Jung barely has time to process what's happening as she watches her husband opening the door.

Mr Jung swings his knife at the person who stands in the doorway. The person swiftly dodges the attack and just grin at the man.

"This civilian isn't co-operating" The brown haired male turns to smile at the three men behind him before pulling a gun from beneath his coat.

"NO" Jaehyun screams just as the man pulls the trigger.

Mr Jung crumples to the ground, blood immediately begins to pool around his head. The bullet landed cleanly between the man's eye brows.

"You must be Jaehyun" The brown haired male puts away his gun once more as he extends the same hand towards Jaehyun. "I'm Taeil, we will be working together."

"Y-You just killed my father" Jaehyun's voice trembles with a mixture of anger and sadness.

"I guess I did" Taeil lowers his hand again. "And I'll probably kill your mother too, unless she hands over your sister."

Jaehyun slowly raises his gaze to meet his mother's. Her eyes are pleading as she looks into her son's eyes.

Don't let them take you.

Hye is sobbing by this stage as she holds onto her mother even tighter then before. 

"Mrs Jung, I have to ask that you give us your daughter" Taeil turns his attention to the older woman in the room. He takes a few steps forwards so he is now standing beside her son.

This gives room for the other three men to enter the house. Two of them are tall with dark hair whilst the other is a reasonable height with silver coloured hair.

"And I'm going to have to ask that you leave before someone gets hurt" Jaehyun tries to sound firm, but his wobbling voice gives him away.

"I believe it's a little too late for that" Taeil remarks as he looks down at Mr Jung's body. "Johnny, go get the girl would you."

Jaehyun moves to attack the tall man who makes his way towards his mother and sister. Yet he is stopped as someone wraps their arms around his waist, holding him back.

He thrashes and claws away at the person's grip as he tries to break free to help his sister. The grip on him won't budge, not even in the slightest.

"Fighting will only tire you" His captor mutters into his ear. The sound of his voice immediately causes Jaehyun to pause in his attempts.

He turns around in the male's arms as he looks to see that the silver haired male is the one who holds him.

"Who are you?" Jaehyun questions him.

"MOM" Hye screams a blood curdling scream as she is ripped away from her mother. Mrs Jung goes to hit Johnny, she goes to do anything which will make him let her go.

Yet she is stopped as the sound of a gun going off once more echoes through the house. Her limp body falls to the floor, yet another clean shot in between her eyebrows.

Jaehyun looks in time to see Taeil lowering his gun once more. "This civilian isn't co-operating." He merely says.

Johnny throws Hye over his shoulder as he walks out of the house, the young girl kicking and screaming on his shoulder.   
The other tall, dark haired male walks out after them.

"Time to head back home" Taeil clasps his hands together happily before exiting the house as well.

The silver haired male who holds onto Jaehyun lets go, taking a step away from him.  
"Say goodbye to your parents. Be quick, we don't have much time."

Jaehyun doesn't question the sudden gesture of kindness. He rushes to his mother's body and with a trembling hand, he closes her eyes. Whispering a goodbye he then moves to his father to whom he does the same.

The silver haired man gestures to the doorway but Jaehyun doesn't leave. Instead he remains where he is, and holds this man's gaze.

"My name is Taeyong. Now get your ass out to the car."


	2. Chapter 2

Taeyong hovered by the open door to the van as he waited for Jaehyun to approach the vehicle. Everyone else was already inside, including Hye.

"Could you hurry up?" The silver haired snaps at the boy who just became an orphan within the time frame of 10 minutes.

"Or what? You'll kill me too?" Jaehyun scowls at his captor as tears silently stream down his face. 

Taeyong is taken back by seeing this boy's demeanour. Seeing him cry makes something within the older's chest hurt. He finds his expression softening as he gently placed a hand on the other's shoulder.

"It gets easier. The pain, this time next week you'll be able to talk about it freely. Within a year you'll understand that they are with you always."

Jaehyun stands still for a few moments as he listens to the silver haired. This man speaks as though he were talking from experience.

"What's taking so long?" Taeil's sing-song voice calls from the passenger seat.

"Get in" Taeyong pulls his hand away and nudges the younger with the end of his gun, forcing him to hurry into the car.

Jaehyun instantly moves to sit beside his sister. Hye is in tears as she leans into her brother's warmth. He is the only family she has left.

His arms feel like home.

He smells like home.

Taeyong gets into the van at last, closing the door, he sits on the seat which is on Jaehyun's other side. Johnny and the other male sit in the two seats before them while Taeil is at the front next to the driver.

"Where are we going?" Hye asks, her voice fragile, as though she were afraid of being hurt if she spoke.

"To your new home" Taeil exclaims, his voice way to cheerful considering the situation.

Jaehyun tightens his grip on his younger sister. He trusts Taeil about as far as he can throw him. Even less.

"There are others there" Taeyong speaks up. "Others your age."

"My age? Or Hye's age?" Jaehyun questions. It would be good if Hye could have friends wherever they are going. But no matter what, he will never leave her alone. He has to protect her.

"Both. We currently have 132 residents at the facility. With the addition of you two, there will be 134" Johnny answers the question before Taeyong can open his mouth.

"You'll be hanging out with us a lot" The unnamed man states. "You're 19, the perfect age to be trained as one of us."

"What?" Jaehyun frowns. "I-I don't want to be like you. I don't want to take kids from their families."

"Try telling that to the Sorcerer" Johnny scoffs. "It's not like we get a choice. Do you think we want to be doing this?"

"Oh I do. I think it's quite an enjoyable experience" Taeil turns around in his seat to flash a big grin at everyone.

Suddenly the unnamed man slams his elbow into the window, causing a huge crack to form through the middle.   
"Would you shut up, you crazy bastard!" He yells.

Hye immediately grows more frightened as she lets out a whimper. Jaehyun tries to calm her but all he can do is hold her tightly.

"No need to be such a sour wart, Lucas" Taeil rolls his eyes as he turns to face the front once more.

The vehicle is filled with a silence which is tense. The atmosphere is uncomfortable for each person, excluding Taeil who is happily humming away as though he were in his own little world.

Taeyong turns to face Jaehyun when he notices the younger is staring out the window. He knows the pain in his features all too well.

"We have arrived" Johnny interrupts his thoughts as the car comes to a halt

Taeil is the first to get out of the van. He walks to the back and opens the door for Lucas and Johnny to exit. Taeyong gets out of the van leaving Jaehyun with his sister.

The light brown haired male kisses the top of his sister's head before telling her it's safe to get out of the van. She doesn't object as she shakily steps away from him.

He holds onto her hand firmly as the pair get out of the vehicle, stepping onto the ground. Taeil slams the door shut, causing Hye to jump.

There isn't much to see from the ground. Before the group is a concrete building which is surrounded by a barbed wire fence. Jaehyun is almost certain that it's electric.

"Let's take our guests inside" Taeil grins, turning on his heel to walk towards the entrance of the complex.

Johnny and Lucas incline their heads towards the brown haired male, gesturing for Jaehyun and Hye to follow. Taeyong decides to walk at the rear, making sure they don't try to run.

The walk isn't that far, yet it feels as though they had been walking for an eternity to the Jung siblings as they walked side by side.

At the entrance to the building, three visible guards hover before the doorway. One of which walks up to Taeil. After a few moments of interaction he turns and nods in the direction of the other guards.

A piercingly loud beep echoes through the empty space as the door unlocks and swings open, granting them access.

Taeil walks inside, Johnny and Lucas nudge both Jaehyun and Hye with their guns as the pair hesitate to keep moving.

After walking down a long corridor, the group come to a half before two double doorways. One reads Boys whilst the other reads Girls.

"Boys and girls have seperate rooms" Johnny explains as he crouched before Hye, so he now has to look up to meet her gaze.

"No" Jaehyun pulls her into his side. "I'm not leaving her."

"Oh please, if anywhere is safe then it's here. Your sister will be fine. She'll probably enjoy her time more if she's with the other girls" Taeil remarks.

Jaehyun shakes his head, "Hye is coming with me and that's final."

"Do you want to let go of your brothers hand and follow me? Your new room is fit for a princess" Johnny coos.

"No, she doesn't. Hye you aren't going anywhere" Jaehyun speaks for her, not giving her the chance.

"I'll go" Hye states firmly, pulling her hand from Jaehyun's grip. "We will see each other later, right?" She turns to face Johnny again.

He nods, a smile covering his features. "Of course. It's only for sleep that you get separated."

The dark haired male stands once more and gently takes Hye's hand. She smiles sadly at her brother as Johnny leads her through the double doors.

Taeil doesn't waste another second as he opens the doors for the boys dormitory. Lucas, Jaehyun and Taeyong all walk through the opened doors.

Straight down the hallway there is a large room which is filled with books and couches along with desks. There seems to be be many other people seated around reading or writing.

They all raise their heads to look at the newcomer. Jaehyun makes eye contact with several of them and can see the pain which mirrors his own in their expressions.

Some have puffy cheeks and swollen eyes from crying recently. Not one face has a smile spread across it.

They don't stop in this room, instead they continue to walk through another doorway which leads to a long corridor with many doors on either side.

They come to a stop before the room numbered 133. Taeil turns the handle and pushes the door open.

The room is a decent size with two single beds inside. One against the left side whilst the other is over to the right of the room. Each with their own bedside table.

"You'll have a roommate" Taeil explains as he turns to happily face Jaehyun. The lighter shaded haired male slowly walks into the room and looks around.

"Don't worry about clothes, we have everything you need in the closet. We already know your sizes so they will all fit perfectly."

Jaehyun doesn't say anything as he walks over to the bed on the left side of the room, but he is stopped as Taeyong speaks up this time.

"Your bed is on the right. The left one is mine."

Jaehyun turns to look at the silver haired boy in slight confusion. This man was to be his roommate? He nods slowly and walks over to take a seat on what was to be his new bed.

"We will see you around" Taeil smiles once more before leaving the room. Lucas sheds Jaehyun one more glance before leaving the room as well.

Taeyong places his gun into the belt around his waist once more as he closes the door to their room. He slowly walks over to his bed and takes a seat.

"You okay?"

Jaehyun refuses to meet the older's gaze as he moves to be lying down on his bed. "You should know the answer to that. I just became an orphan and had to watch as one of your people took my sister away."

"She will be protected. You both will be" Taeyong tries to assure him. "Look I know it's scary—"

"Do you? Do you even have a younger sister? Even a brother maybe? It's impossible to understand the feeling of not being able to protect your little sister. She's 12, she needs me" Jaehyun states harshly.

Taeyong's hand begins to tremble slightly but he fights back on the urge to get angry and defensive about this. He must stay strong. For him, he must.

"I'm going to get some food." He excuses himself quickly, swiftly exiting the room.

Once alone, Jaehyun finally allows himself to grieve his parents. The tears come much faster then what he was expecting. They are really gone.

They aren't coming back. He raises his arm to covers his eyes as he just sobs helplessly. He can't even begin to imagine how scared Hye must be.

More then anything he wants to be by her side. Yet he can't. The people here won't let them stay together.

There is a knock on the door which causes the crying male to nearly jump out of his skin. He is quick to wipe away his tears before moving into a seated position on the bed.

"Come in."

The door swings open and a man in a dark suit walks in, his black hair has been combed back and he looks neat...Hang on, Jaehyun recognises this person.

"Doyoung?" He whispers his name.


	3. Chapter 3

"Doyoung?"

The head of the defences smiles as he closes the door behind him, slowly walking over to take a seat on Taeyong's bed. He raises his gaze to meet the newcomer's.

"Jaehyun, welcome" He greets happily. "You've obviously seen me on the news before."

"I don't think there is anyone who hasn't seen you before" Jaehyun mutter bitterly.

The older awkwardly scratches the back of his head as he chuckles softly. He folds his left leg over the right as he tries to make himself comfortable.

"Why are you here?" The light brown haired asks in a soft voice. He has no patience to deal with anyone at the moment. He wants to be with Hye. His sister needs him...And he needs her.

"I'm here because it is my duty to personally welcome the children as they join this facility." The dark haired male smiles a smile which Jaehyun can easily read as a fake emotion.

"You don't have to lie to me" He states, his tone more firm this time.

"You're a smart one aren't you?" Doyoung's gaze is filled with wonder and curiosity as though he were a scientist who was looking at a new bacteria which he has discovered.

Jaehyun doesn't respond.

"You are 19 years of age which means you are no longer a minor" Doyoung continues. "Once you are over 18 years of age, the Sorcerer sends you to be trained. You will join training a year late but that's okay. You're smart, you'll catch up."

"I'm not going to help you bastards to tear families apart" The younger scowls as his holds the older's gaze for a few moments to get his point across.

"Jaehyun, listen to me" The dark haired male gets off Taeyong's bed and slowly makes his way to take a seat on the end of the younger's bed.

"It is clear to me that you don't understand our cause. You don't see the vision like we do."

"If you're about to explain it to me then you should stop before even starting, it would just be a waste of breath" Jaehyun speaks harshly.

Doyoung pauses for a moment but he continues anyway.   
"You've seen the creatures which roam the streets, reading to prey on anyone they can get their claws onto. No one can be safe or happy due to the fact they are constantly looking over their shoulders. We want to train you fight them, with an end goal that one day you will make them extinct and make this world our home again."

"And how many of us will die in this process?" Jaehyun glares at the older, tilting his head to the side, his voice not wavering even once.

"No one will die. They will be sacrificed. It will all be for a great cause" The dark haired argues.

"There is no such thing as dying for a good cause. Death is still death. The parents won't feel any less pain just cause they learn they lost their son to an 'honourable' cause" The younger retorts.

"Luckily for us there will be no parents to mourn their children" Doyoung's suddenly becomes hardly a whisper. "My fiancé deals with that issue."

This catches Jaehyun's attention. The younger slowly raises his eyes to look at Doyoung's just as the dark haired lowers his gaze to the floor.

"Y-Your fiancé kills the families...What you say on the TV about families being left unharmed is a lie."

"At first they weren't touched" Doyoung explains weakly. "But then his parents were killed by an angry father. He wanted my dear fiancé to feel the same pain which he did. So he went to his parents house and slit their throats. Taeil discovered them 2 days later. His father was still seated in his chair, the newspaper in his lap. His mother in the kitchen, the vegetables had all been prepared."

The name stands out to Jaehyun, in fact it shocks him. There's no way the man before him is engaged to that crazy bastard.

"Something in Taeil snapped that night. The very next day he collected two young girls from their elderly parents. He shot them both, even injuring one of the girls. Ever since then he's just killed all the parents in cold blood."

"And you let this happen?!" Jaehyun begins to raise his voice. Yes what happened to Taeil is awful but how can Doyoung allow him to continue to act this way.

Doyoung's lips slowly curve up into a smile as his eyes meet with the younger's.

"Maybe I'm insane. But I'm in love. It's all for the cause of making earth home again."

"Earth can't possibly be a home if there is no one left to inhabit it!" Jaehyun yells.

The dark haired male's expression suddenly turns to one filled with an expression which scares the younger.

"Tomorrow at 6 o'clock in the morning, I expect to see you at the hall with Taeyong and all the other soldiers. I've nothing more to say to you" Doyoung states sourly before standing up once more.

He swiftly leaves the room, slamming the door closed behind him.

————

"He is very different to the others" Taeyong frowns as he slowly stirs his drink with his straw, over and over again.

"I want to meet him" His light haired friend exclaims. He notices the older's frown causing him to mirror the same expression.

"Is this not a good thing?"

Taeyong stops playing with his drink and makes eye contact with the older who is seated beside him.

"It's just, he told me that I had no idea how it felt to lose control over a sibling. He has a younger sister, she's 12."

"Did you tell him about your brother? About Jisung?" The light haired asks, his tone filled with concern.

"No, I was too angry at the time. I just left saying I needed to get some food. Yuta, he's 19. He'll be training with us" Taeyong whines.

Yuta smirks at this as he takes a long sip from his own drink.   
"So I shall be meeting this mysterious man soon."

"Not if I have anything to do with it" Taeyong punches his friends shoulder.

"Lee Taeyong, Johnny Seo, Nakamoto Yuta and Dong Sicheng" Taeil calls their names cheerfully from the entrance to the room. "We have a 10 year old boy along with a 17 year old and 14 year old sisters to pick up. Get together what you need. The van leaves in 10."

The crazed leader turns on his heel, exiting the room once more.

"Looks like we have a job to do" Yuta sighs, skulking the rest of his drink before pushing himself onto his feet.

Taeyong does the same with his drink before following his friend out of the cafeteria.


	4. Chapter 4

Taeyong kept his gaze on his hands as he fiddled with his thumbs, seated in the van with Yuta beside him. Sicheng next to him and Johnny in the row before them all. Taeil was in his usual position in the passenger seat.

"Lets go over the plan for this collection" Johnny suggests as he suddenly speaks up, breaking the silence on the vehicle.

"Taeil will knock on the door as per usual, then Johnny shall take care of the boy. He's good with the young ones" Yuta speaks firmly.

"Then Taeyong and I will deal with the girls whilst Taeil—" Sicheng is interrupted as Taeyong opens his mouth to speak.

"Whilst Taeil kills the parents."

A dead silence fills the space as everyone looks to the front where Taeil pops open a small container which is filled with gum. Throwing a piece into his mouth he turns around to face everyone else.

"Gum? Anyone?" He offers.

Taeyong keeps his gaze on his hands whilst Johnny goes to take a piece. Once he has finished, the eldest closes the container before throwing it at Taeyong's head.

The silver haired male barely flinches as it comes into contact with his left temple. He allows the container to fall to the ground as he finally meets the older's gaze.

"I cant help it dearest Taeyong if the parents don't cooperate" Taeil states simply, a grin spreading across his features. "We must prevent these parents from coming for your family...Oh wait, I already beat them to it."

Taeyong unclips his seatbelt before he lunges forward, pulling the dagger from his waistband. Yuta goes to grab him but misses as the blade finds itself placed against the eldest's throat.

Taeil chuckles at the sudden action, not even a hint of fear on his face.

"My father should've slit your throat as well. He must be rolling in his grave with great regret, wishing he did his job properly" Taeyong snarls in his ear.

"His grave? The one I put him in?" The smile doesn't begin to fade, not even in the slightest.

"I could kill you" The silver haired threatens, pressing down on the blade so it begins to pierce the skin.

"But you won't" Taeil shrugs as Johnny disarms Taeyong in one swift movement, pulling the angered male back into the rear of the van.

Taeyong doesn't say anything as he just takes his seat once more beside Yuta.

Before long, they arrive at the destination. No doubt the children are cowering in their rooms or trying to hide.

Once everyone has exited the van, they all trail behind Taeil who wanders up to the front door of the house. Pulling the gun from his waistband, he shares a final grin to the others before knocking three times.

"I have a gun!" The worried mother screams from the inside.

"Single mother" Yuta informs Taeyong who raises a brow at the woman's statement. It's usually the husband who attempts to use a weapon of some kind.

"So do I, dearie" Taeil chirps. "Care to open the door? We could compare our arsenal!"

The door swings open revealing a middle aged woman, holding a rifle which is pointed straight at Taeil's forehead. Taeyong wouldn't mind if she shot him, not at all.

"You won't get your hands on my children" Her voice is strong yet her eyes speak otherwise. Fear for her children and her own life fill the dark orbs as she stares at the group of armed men before her.

"A citizen who isn't co-operating, what a shame" Taeil sighs, faking a look of misery before raising his gun, pulling the trigger.

The woman doesn't have time to scream in pin before she collapses to the ground, blood pooling around her head.

"Johnny, find the boy. Yuta and Sicheng, find the girls" Taeil shoots his orders as he places the gun in his waistband once more.

The three men walk into the house, stepping around the body in the doorway. This leaves just Taeyong and Taeil alone outside.

Taeyong wastes no time in stepping forward, colliding his fist with the older's jaw. The older smiles to himself as he brings a hand to gently touch his split lip.

"Didn't Doyoung ever teach you to keep personal matters seperate to work?"

"Obviously I didn't listen" Taeyong remarks as he shakes his fist a few times before lowering his hand to his side once more.

"What is your problem? What do I do that bothers you so much Taeyong?" Taeil sounds genuinely curious as he asks this.

"I cant believe you actually have to ask that" Taeyong rolls his eyes.

"Enlighten me" Is all the older says.

"Isn't it already enough that we are ripping these children from their homes?! From their parents! There is no reason for you to kill them. The parents were never meant to die."

"My parents were never meant to die!" Taeil screams, shocking the younger into silence. "But your father didn't think of what was 'meant' to happen. He just slit their throats without even stopping to think of how I would feel. So no, I don't give a shit for how I'm supposed to do my job."

Taeyong takes a step backwards and shakes his head.   
"When are you going to stop blaming my father and just admit to being a crazy asshole? Stop using him as a shield, it isn't healthy."

Neither have a chance to say anything else as Johnny walks out of the house, the 10 year old boy on his shoulder. Yuta and Sicheng are soon to follow.

"Straight in the van" Is all Taeil says as he takes a long and deep breath before following the others into the vehicle once more.

— — — —

Jaehyun was awake when the door to his room silently opened and closed as Taeyong returned from his mission. The older was doing his best to be quiet, expecting his new roommate to be asleep.

"Did you have fun?" Jaehyun's voice croaks slightly. His throat is dry. He hasn't had water for the past 3 hours.

"Excuse me?" Taeyong questions as he shrugs off his coat, hanging it on the coat stand which is beside the door.

He unclips the belt which holds his gun and knives, walking over to his bend where he kneels to place it beneath where he sleeps.

"Taking those kids, was it fun?" Jaehyun repeats the question, his tone growing more bitter each time.

"Do you really think I enjoy tearing families apart?" Taeyong kicks off his shoes, taking a seat on the edge of his bed as he faces Jaehyun.

"It is the worst feeling, seeing people so young in so much pain. Knowing you are the person who has caused that pain. Nothing hurts more than to see the look on a 6 year old boy who is being ripped from his dead mother's arms."

"Then why do you do it?" It angers the older how Jaehyun speaks as though this were such a simple task. The younger is really pushing his buttons.

"I don't do it because I want to. I do it because I don't want to die. They kill those who refuse to play their part. I have people who need me alive" He trails off towards the end of his speech.

"Your parents are dead. Who could possibly need you?" Jaehyun remarks harshly.

Taeyong bites down on his tongue, urging himself to not talk back. It would only end up with Jaehyun spending the night in the infirmary.

"I want to see Hye" The younger sighs. "She needs me."

"I'm sorry but you'll have to wait until tomorrow. I can assure you she's fine" Taeyong begins. "Hyuna takes care of the girls. She's a good person."

"Hye is my sister. You wouldn't understand this and that's okay but just do me a favour and let me see her. She's no doubt terrified." Jaehyun remarks bitterly.

"I have a brother!" Taeyong yells, startling Jaehyun.

The room is filled with silence as neither of the two move to speak. Jaehyun doesn't know what to say. Soon, Taeyong speaks again.

"His name is Jisung and he is 16 years old. He's in a coma and has been for the past 3 years. It'll be a miracle if he ever wakes up. He got into a fight and they hit his head pretty hard. So stop with the whole I don't understand the sibling thing. I feel so pathetic about myself. I'm meant to look after him and I couldn't even stop children from attacking him."

Jaehyun moves into a seated position on his bed. He feels terrible. He instantly wishes he could take back all which he has said to the older regarding siblings.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know" He opts for instead.

Taeyong scoffs, shaking his head as he gets off the bed, walking over to the wardrobe.

"No please, snap at me so more about not having a sibling. Don't let the fact that I actually have a younger brother stop you."

That's when the younger comes up with an idea. He could help this man. He may be able to even save his brother.

"I'm in medical school" He blurts. Taeyong tilts his head as he turns to face Jaehyun again.

"We have fully trained and equiped doctors who couldn't even save him. What makes you so different?"

"I'm training to be a neurosurgeon. I might see something that the others didn't" Jaehyun shrugs.

"Still, you're training. Why would I let you near my brother?" Taeyong snaps harshly.

"Because what I just told you has given you hope. Based on the look on your face, none of the medical staff here are neurosurgeons." The younger smiles softly to himself.

Taeyong sighs, walking back over to take a seat on his bed as he places his head in his hands.

"Fine. I'll take you to him, but you can't operate. I won't allow you to place your hands inside my brothers head. Medical school or no, you are training and based on your age have only been there for a year—"

"Two years. I was much smarter than my year level. I skipped a year of school" Jaehyun corrects him.

"But still it is only two years out of 7 years. You may examine my brother and if you discover anything new, you may relay it to the qualified doctors in this institution. Am I clear?"

Jaehyun can't help but find himself smirking as he hears the older lay out his orders. He nods firmly.

"Crystal."


	5. Chapter 5

Jaehyun quietly slipping into his boots as Taeyong slipped a gun into the waistband of his jeans. He had to be sure that he could fend the younger off his brother if he needed to.

The younger pulls his hood over his head to conceal his face from the cameras which are located throughout the building.

Taeyong does the same with his knee length coat. He explained to the newcomer that this coat was worn by all the collectors. The collectors being those who take the children away.

No one could know the two were paying a visit to Jisung at this hour. Jaehyun didn't understand why, the silver haired male didn't explain.

He assumes it's a pride thing. Maybe he doesn't want the others to know he allowed for the new kid to step in on his brother's case.

In a way it would suggest that he doesn't have faith in the doctors here. Jaehyun already doesn't have much faith in them.

If they are so qualified, why is Taeyong's brother not awake?

Taeyong walks in front of the younger, leading the way to the infirmary wing of the building. Both of their steps are surprisingly quiet.

The silver haired male is slightly amazed at how silent the younger walks. It's always handy when it comes to sneaking to places where you shouldn't be.

They approach a door with a security lock on the outside. The silver haired male places his hand against a green pad and a sharp 'ding' sounds as the lock unlatches.

The pair wince at the loud sound. Taeyong quickly pushes open the door and grabs Jaehyun's arm, roughly pulling him into the room before closing the door once more.

Walking away, the older makes his way through a wide corridor. Once he reaches the end, he turns left and opens the the first door to his right.

Jaehyun follows behind him. The older switches on the light and that is when the younger gets his first glimpse of the patient.

Jisung is laying on the bed with an oxygen tube connected to his nose. Several clips are connected to his hand, his skin is pale.

"When was the last time a doctor checked on him?" Jaehyun asks as he takes off his hoodie, placing it on a chair.

"Someone checks on him at least each hour" Taeyong explains. His voice has become soft all of a sudden.

The younger slowly walks over to the boy, rolling up his sleeves. He takes note of Jisung's heartbeat and blood pressure. His heart is fine, blood pressure is slightly low.

He grabs a stethoscope from the portable medical table which is just behind him. Placing it in his ears, he softly listens to Jisung's heartbeat through the device.

"He's breathing fine. He doesn't need the tube" Jaehyun states, taking out the stethoscope once more.

He goes to remove the oxygen but Taeyong speaks up.  
"Don't touch it. Remember what I told you?" He states harshly.

Jaehyun raises his hands in surrender as he steps backwards.  
"Do you have a copy of his MRI scans?"

He turns to face the patient once more, gently opening his eyes, using his small flashlight to check the pupils responses.

"Yeah but they are like a year old" Taeyong mutters.

"A year?! Shit" Jaehyun curses as he turns off his flashlight, throwing it onto the table, stepping away from the patient.

"He needs a MRI right now."

"Can't it wait until tomorrow? Or at least let me go get a doctor" Taeyong goes to leave the room but is stopped as Jaehyun grabs his arm.

"Do you want your brother to die?" The younger holds his gaze, steadily.

"What kind of question is that?" The silver haired male scowls. "Of course I don't."

"Then you're going to have to let me take him into the scan. I have a bad feeling that his brain has swollen since his last scan. It may even be bleeding. If I am correct he will need surgery right away. The pressure must be relieved."

Taeyong doesn't like the sounds of Jaehyun taking control over his brother's treatment.

"Taeyong, Jisung will get permanent brain damage if he doesn't die. He will need that surgery and I am the most qualified to do it." The younger exclaims.

Swallowing, the older nods in defeat.

Jaehyun rushes back over to the bed and takes the oxygen tube from his nose before taking the breaks off the wheels on the bed.

He grabs an oxygen mask with a bag on it and places it on the patients mouth, instructing Taeyong to compress the bag as he pushes the bed.

The pair walk swiftly through the halls until they reach the room where the MRI scanner resides. A few doctors approached the pair, to which Taeyong requested for a certain doctor to come to them.

Jaehyun removes the oxygen from the patient before getting Taeyong to assist him in moving the boy to the bed on the scanner.

"Get into the seperate room" Jaehyun orders as he makes final adjustments to Jisung.

Taeyong obeys, walking out. Jaehyun is soon to follow him, as soon as he closes the door, he starts up the machine.

"What is the meaning of this?" A foreign voice asks in horror as someone enters the small room. Jaehyun turns from the screen to see a man with dark, black hair standing in the doorway.

He walks over to the younger and gazed over his shoulder at the scans. Taeyong gets out of his chair and rushes over to the male.

"This is Jaehyun, he's a neurosurgeon in the making and he said he could help Jisung" The older explains, tone rushed.

"In training? You're trusting a student to work on your brother? I'm his assigned doctor. You didn't think to advise me first?" The black haired male sounds angry.

"I'm sorry Hendery but—" Taeyong apologises but he's interrupted.

"Can you two figure out your little quarrel later? I need an O.R. to be set up and immediately. Scrub in your best doctors" Jaehyun states firmly.

"Excuse me?" Hendery sounds highly irritated to be receiving orders from this newcomer.

"This boy's brain is bleeding and swollen beyond belief. He will be dead within 48 hours, severe brain damage will take place within 24 if we don't operate now." Jaehyun exclaims.

"I'll lead the surgery" Hendery turns to leave the room but is stopped by Taeyong.

"Let Jaehyun lead. He's the one who discovered this and he's a student. You're supposedly a qualified doctor yet you didn't pick up on this."

Hendery wastes more time as he looks between the silver haired male and Jaehyun.

"Have you done this kind of procedure before?" He questions the newcomer.

"I haven't..." Jaehyun trails off. "Yet I've assisted in three. This will be the first time that I lead but I can promise you that it'll be a success."

Hendery takes a deep breath before rushing out of the room, on his way to assemble a crew and set up the O.R.

Taeyong turns to Jaehyun as soon as he gets the chance.   
"You haven't done this before?! You expect me to trust you?! I've known you for what, 4 hours?!"

"Calm down, Taeyong. I won't let your brother die, I promise" Jaehyun does his best to sound assuring as he squeezes the older's shoulder.

The MRI finishes. Jaehyun steps away from the older and switches the machine off once more.

Hendery walks back in, "I have my best doctors assembled. They are currently scrubbing in at O.R. 5."

"Assist me to transport Jisung" Jaehyun instructs. The doctor surprisingly agrees and makes his way into the room with the scanner.

"Taeyong, go and wake a friend if you need the support. Or you can head straight to the viewing place." The younger informs the silver haired male.

"I'll watch alone" Is all the silver haired male says in response.

— — — —

Doyoung let's out a breath he didn't realise he was holding as he removes his tie. He stretches his neck, relieving the stress from it as he drops his tie onto the floor.

He has never enjoyed wearing suits all day, everyday. But when he has to attend meetings and the news filming then he has to.

He is always beyond happy when he gets to just stay in the institute and assist with the training of the new collectors.

It also gives him a chance to spend more time with his beloved fiancé.

Speaking of the devil, the door swings open, the brown haired male entering the room having finished his tasks for the day.

"Hi my love" Doyoung says, voice slightly hoarse as the older male walks over to him. He grins as he wraps his arms around the raven haired younger.

Doyoung pulls away enough to peck the older's lips. The older winces as his split lip rips open again.

"What happened?" The raven haired male grows concerned as he notices his fiancé's swollen cheek and split lip. Softly he caresses it with his hand, examining it.

"Taeyong hit me" Taeil says simply. "He was angry about how I keep killing the parents. In particular, how I killed his parents."

"And did you mention how his father killed your family?" Doyoung feels a sudden wave of anger towards the silver haired boy.

That man has only caused trouble for Taeil. Nothing less than pain and trouble.

"Of course I did, my sweet. That only angered him more" Taeil mutters.

Concern fills Doyoung's eyes once more as he leads the older into the en-suite where the first aid kids rests beneath the sink.

"I suppose you met Jaehyun" Taeil suddenly mentions as the raven haired male pulls out a tube of antiseptic cream.

"Yeah, I did. Once he understands our vision I think he will be a great collector. One of the best" Doyoung expresses his thoughts as he gently applies some of the cream to the cut on Taeil's lip.

"I don't think he liked me" Taeil chuckles as he recalls the look of hate on Jaehyun's face when the pair met.

"Well he is an idiot just like the others" Doyoung states harshly, putting the cream away once more. "They don't understand what I see in you."

Taeil grins at this as he bops the younger's nose with his forefinger. "They think I'm crazy."

Doyoung chuckles softly as he grabs the older's waist, pulling him against his own lean body.

"You are. Insane even" The raven haired male admits, leaning down to kiss his lips.

"But I love you. And you're mine. If we have to kill them all to be together then let us paint the walls red."

"That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard. We could even paint the roses red!" Taeil's singsong voice chirps as he pulls the younger's face down to crash their lips against each other once more.

— — — —

Taeyong bites his nails as he watches Jaehyun working away inside his brother's head. The operating theatre is dead silent expect for when Jaehyun asks for a tool to be passed.

Every now and then he murmurs, "Suction" and Hendery nods in the direction of the doctor opposite him who operates some kind of tube.

Jaehyun looks extremely focused. All of his concentration of the patient's life.

It relieves Taeyong to hear his brother's heart is still beating. He has to admit that as Jaehyun began to make incisions, he was waiting for Jisung's heart to just stop.

It's been 3 hours since the surgery started.

Taeyong doesn't know if progress is being made or not. He has no idea what is happening in that god damned room.

He feels a hand on his back suddenly which makes him nearly jump out of his skin. He looks beside him just in time to see Doyoung taking a seat.

The raven haired male's hair isn't as neat as it usually is. The top two buttons on his shirt are undone.

"I don't remember hearing about this operation" He states. "I especially don't remember giving permission to Jaehyun to operate."

"Jisung is my brother. I get to choose who places their hands inside his head." Taeyong retorts bitterly.

"Taeyong, do tell me what you did to the kids who attacked your brother" Doyoung says, leaning back in his seat.

"I beat up the eldest who was 17 and stole all meals from the other few for three days" He explains quietly.

"So do I starve you or do I beat you up for hitting Taeil?" Doyoung doesn't look at the silver haired male as he speaks.

Taeyong doesn't say anything. He doesn't know what to say.

"I could stop this surgery right now. Let your brother die with his head wide open" The raven haired male remarks.

"Please" Taeyong pleads weakly. "Yes I harmed your fiancé but please don't take it out on Jisung. He had nothing to do with it."

Doyoung pauses for a moment as though he were trying to think of what was the smartest move to make.

"I want to hurt you" He begins. "To cut you and watch you bleed. Yet I won't, you're a valued asset to the collection process."

"So you'll starve me?" The silver haired male turns to watch Jaehyun operating again.

"That will weaken you as well. So how's this instead," Doyoung smiles to himself as he speaks. "As soon as Jisung is stabilised, he will be sent to the institution we have in London. You will never see him again."

Taeyong's heart sinks. He immediately gets out of his seat and falls onto his knees before the male, clasping his hands together in a begging position.

"Please don't do this. I cant lose my brother. I really can't."

Doyoung looks down at the boy with no remorse in his eyes. He stands up so he can look down on him.

"Yes you can, and you will. We are going to paint the roses red" Doyoung mutters the last part to himself. Smiling, he pushes past Taeyong, leaving the room.

Jaehyun gazed up just in time to see Taeyong weakly moving himself to take a seat on the chair again.

The younger takes a deep breath before looking down at the opened head before him.

"Close him up" He instructs Hendery as he walks away from the patient. He doesn't give the doctor a chance to speak as he scrubs out of the theatre.

Removing his mask and gloves, he rushes into the viewing room to speak to Taeyong. The silver haired male looks defeated as he stands to hear what Jaehyun has to say.

"The surgery went well. Jisung should be stabilised within 24 hours. With a bit of luck he will wake up within 48 hours" Jaehyun grins as he delivers the news.

Yet Taeyong doesn't smile at all. In fact, his face turns to a deathly pale shade of white.

Jaehyun barely has a chance to catch the older as he collapses, falling unconscious in the younger's arms.


	6. Chapter 6

Yuta does his best to remain quiet as he slips out of bed. The sunlight peeks through the gap in the curtains, acting as his only source of light as he moves to pick up all his clothes which are scattered across the floor.

He pulls his underwear on before stepping into his black, ripped skinny jeans. As he pulls up the zipper, the occupant in the bed stirs awake.

"What are you doing?" Sicheng asks, voice hoarse from sleep. He yawns, rubbing at his eyes to try and remove the sleep.

Yuta smiles at the sight of the shirtless man beneath the blankets which have been pushed down to his lower stomach.

The light haired older walks over to the bed, crawling back onto it so he can give the love of his life a morning kiss. Sicheng grabs his cheeks and tries to deepen the kiss but is stopped as the older pulls away, getting off the bed once more.

"I have a meeting, I wish I could stay for longer but I can't" Yuta explains as he slips into his black t-shirt. He sits on the edge of the bed to put his shoes on again.

"You could skip this one. Just this once" Sicheng suggests, slowly moving to be seated behind his boyfriend. He gently presses his lips to Yuta's neck.

"I would love to do just that, you know it" The older lets out a loose breath as the younger kisses his sweet spot.

"Then stay" Sicheng states firmly.

As much as he doesn't want to, he gently pushes the younger away, moving to be standing on his feet as he turns to face the dark haired male.

"This meeting is important. You know if I could, I'd stay" he tried to explain himself.

A sour look suddenly fills the younger's features as he moves his gaze away.

"Is it about your coronation?" He asks, bitterly.

"Coronation?" Yuta sounds genuinely confused as he moves to sit beside his boyfriend again. "There are no kings or queens in this world anymore. You know that."

Sicheng doesn't believe this statement. "Don't think I'm stupid Yuta. All these meetings with the leaders of other institutes. All these courses your father is making you do...I know he's readying you to be the first King of this new world."

Yuta goes to wrap his arm around the younger's shoulders but he's pushed away with little effort.

"My father owns this whole program. The whole idea of training the strongest 100. He is Doyoung's boss. He has a lot of power but that is out of his strengths. He's just preparing me to lead this organisation after he passes away."

"You don't have to lie to me. I know you know it as well. You were just hoping I'd turn a blind eye to it" The younger begins to tear up.

"We will still be together" Yuta assures him but he shakes his head immediately.

"No, we won't. You'll have to marry some girl and produce airs to the throne. There will be no room for me."

The older finds himself at a loss for words. He doesn't know what to say. Nothing he can say will comfort the crying younger.

"No matter what happens, you are the one who I love. No one else but you. You stole my heart the day you arrived here" The light haired mutters.

"You should go, you'll be late" Sicheng sighs. "I love you, Yuta. I'm just afraid that I'll lose you if you reign."

"You'll never lose me" The older leans over to kiss Sicheng's cheek before standing up once more. "I'll be back soon okay?"

Sicheng just nods slowly, there is nothing else for him to say.

— — — —

Doyoung was already seated beside the head of the table when Yuta arrived. The light haired male moved to take his seat opposite the younger.

Before the pair have a chance to speak, the door opens once more revealing Yuta's father, the head of this institution and all others around the world.

Yuta and Doyoung both bow their heads in respect as he takes his seat at the head of the table.

"Doyoung has called us in today. It better be important" Mr Nakamoto sounds annoyed as he speaks.

"One of the collectors punched Taeil for personal reasons whilst the pair were out on a mission" The raven haired male informs the table.

Instantly Yuta shoots a glare in the younger's direction. He's summoned them to discuss what punishment is suitable for Taeyong.

"Is Taeil hurt?" Mr Nakamoto questions.

"He has a split lip and a bruised cheek. He isn't too badly injured, he's just concerned about the collector's mental well-being" Doyoung does his best to sound concerned as well.

Yet he isn't fooling Yuta.

"What do you want to do about it?" Yuta speaks up, beginning to tap his fingers in the glass table.

"We all know Lee Taeyong" Doyoung faces Mr Nakamoto as he starts his next speech. "His father killed Taeil's family which led to my fiancé killing his parents. Taeyong has always held a grudge and has started to allow it to affect his work."

"Get to the point Doyoung" Mr Nakamoto snaps in a hurried tone.

The raven haired male turns his head to the side and holds Yuta's gaze, a devilish grin on his lips.

"I feel it necessary to send his brother, Jisung, away to the institute in London. This way he can't be influenced by his older brother's ways."

"You can't—" Yuta exclaims in horror yet he is interrupted by his father.

"Why send his brother away? How would that help the situation?"

"I caught Taeyong watching as Jaehyun, a med student whom we captured yesterday, cut away in Jisung's head. Hendery was assisting the surgery but it wasn't passed through me first." Doyoung has a pretty solid case which scares Yuta.

"But you aren't the head of the medical team" Yuta voices his thoughts, anything which may help to convince his father to have mercy. "Hendery is."

Doyoung looks to the older man in hopes he will say something in his defence yet the response he gets is the complete opposite. Mr Nakamoto gestures for him to rebut.

"That is correct," He gulps nervously. "But, Jaehyun is a medical student and part of the collected. Therefore he is under my control as I lead all the collected. He would need me to grant him to operate any of the machines or anything in this place."

"So why are we not punishing Jaehyun?" Mr Nakamoto decides to pick at the major loophole he has picked up on.

"Taeyong is the one who mislead Jaehyun. The newcomer wouldn't have realised that Taeyong didn't have the authority to allow this." The raven haired male smiles to himself as he sees Mr Nakamoto silently processing all of this.

"He was trying to save his brother, father you have to consider—" Yuta speaks up in defence.

"Was he trying to protect his brother when he hit Taeil?" Me Nakamoto shuts him down. "In order to be a King, you have to be able to look past the emotional side of things and focus on the laws."

"I don't want to be king" Yuta mutters beneath his breath.

"And I don't care" Mr Nakamoto retorts.

Doyoung chuckles softly as he leans back in his seat, watching on as the father and son before him communicate.

"What is Jisung's medical condition at this current moment?" Mr Nakamoto asks Doyoung.

"He is stable and ready to be transported." The raven haired male replies.

"Send for the pilots of the helicopter to turn on their engines and prepare two doctors to transport this child. He will be transported immediately." Mr Nakamoto instructs.

"Of course. Thank you for your time" Doyoung can't hide the grin from his face as he stands from the table.

Yuta looks at his father in disgust before rushing after Doyoung as the raven haired male swiftly exits the room. On e they are in the hallway, Yuta pushes him against the wall, holding him by his shirt.

"How dare you?!" He yells in anger. "I bet if this situation was flipped and Taeyong had hit Sicheng, you wouldn't care. It's just cause it happened to be your dearest Taeil."

"Actually if the situation was flipped, you would've done the same. You love Sicheng just as much as I love Taeil" Doyoung snarls.

"I would punish Taeyong, give him a suspension, anything but this" Yuta tries to reason.

"No you wouldn't. You need to stop painting me as the bad guy." Doyoung exclaims, pushing the older off of him.

"After all, it isn't my father who passes all these orders."

Yuta remains silent, too angry and shocked to respond. Doyoung gently pats his shoulder twice.

"Now if you'd excuse me, I have a helicopter to organise." The raven haired male smiles as he walks away.

— — — —

"I don't understand" Jaehyun mutters as he paces before his unconscious roommate. Taeyong is laying on his bed in their shared room.

Hendery examines the man and said he was okay and just needed to lay somewhere comfortable so Jaehyun took him back to the room.

"I told you you're brother would be fine" The younger continues to think out loud.

It makes no sense that the older has collapsed like this. Not even in the slightest.

"Jaehyun?" Taeyong's weary voice calls the younger's name. The medical student stops pacing and rushes to the older's side.

"You're awake. How are you feeling?" He asks.

"I'm fine, but I need to see Yuta. They're going to take Jisung away, we have to stop them" Taeyong moves to sit up but Jaehyun stops him.

"What you need is to rest. You fainted, Taeyong. It's best if you have a day off."

"You don't understand, Doyoung is sending my brother away. I'll never see him again." Taeyong sounds panicked.

That's when it hits Jaehyun. That's why Doyoung paid a surprise visit during the surgery. This explains why the silver haired male looked so heartbroken.

"What can you do? I haven't been here for long but I can tell Doyoung is more powerful then most here" Jaehyun states.

"I'll do what I have to do to save my brother" Taeyong holds Jaehyun's gaze as he speaks the next bit. "I'll run away with him."

"Run away?!" The younger exclaims, sounding alarmed by the suggestion. "Just the two of you?!"

"No, Is being a select few with me. Those who I could trust, those who would be of use. I'm not sure, we would have to plan it" The older says quietly.

"We? Are you saying I'd be going with you?" Jaehyun asks the stupid question.

"You're a medical student. Jisung will need a doctor with him and besides, if someone gets injured, you'll be there to save the day." Taeyong smiles softly.

"Where would we go? If we were to run away, where on earth would we go? There's monsters everywhere. That's the whole reason we are here. To learn how to fight them" Jaehyun isn't sold on this idea at all.

Just as the older goes to speak again, the door to the room flies open to reveal Yuta standing there, breathing heavily as though he had just ran there.

"You have to get up to the helipad, they are taking Jisung" The light haired male exclaims, panicked.

Taeyong instantly kicks off the blankets and runs out of sight. Jaehyun doesn't hesitate to follow the older, pretty sure he will have to stop the male from doing anything stupid.

There is no time to wait for the elevator so the pair run up the stairs, up all nine stories before reaching the roof.

They arrive just in time to see them pushing Jisung on the bed into the helicopter.

"What are you doing?!" Taeyong hells as he runs over to the staff who continue to work, ignoring him.

Jaehyun is a few steps away from the scene when a man with brown hair grabs onto Taeyong, pulling him away from his brother.

"Let me go! You can't do this!" Taeyong thrashes against the man.

"You should've thought about that before hitting me" Taeil snickers into his ear.

Jaehyun approaches the pair and just glared at Taeil who has the nerve to smile as he sees the newcomer before them.

"How lovely it is to have you hear Jaehyun" Taeil sounds as though this was the best surprise of his day. He lets go of Taeyong, pushing the silver haired male into the younger.

"I'd love to stay and chat but I have a helicopter to launch" He frowns sarcastically before walking away once more.

Jaehyun wraps his arms around Taeyong, holding the older's head against his chest, beneath his chin as the helicopter begins to rise from the platform.

The younger watches as it gets higher and higher. All he can do is hold onto the older as he screams his brother's name.

"And there he goes" Doyoung remarks excitedly as the helicopter flies away. The raven haired male walks past Jaehyun's and Taeyong, over to his fiancé whom he leans down to briefly kiss.

Jaehyun will never forget the feeling of hatred he felt for the pair as he stood on that rooftop. The urge to let go of the older and push them both was near to take over his senses.

But he knew there were at least four people concealed with guns aimed at his back and head. Make a wrong move and get shot.

And he wasn't going to be shot today.

You can't run away if you're dead.


	7. Chapter 7

Soon after the helicopters departure, Taeil and Doyoung made their way off the roof. This just left Taeyong and Jaehyun, still standing in the same spot, holding onto each other.

Yuta watched the helicopter fly away, he saw Jaehyun embrace Taeyong so he didn't go out on the roof. He decided to go back to his room and see Sicheng.

It wasn't until the helicopter was far out of sight that Taeyong pushed the younger away and moved to be standing alone a few paces away.

The younger clears his throat as he just stays standing where he is. He doesn't approach the older again, he needs his space. He just lost his brother.

"He's gone" The older's voice wavers. "He's really gone. I was too late. I was meant to save him but I just watched as they took him away from me."

Jaehyun opens his mouth to try and comfort the older but he's interrupted as the silver haired male turns to face him him again.

"He's going to wake up in a foreign place and have no idea where he is. He won't know anyone who is there. He'll beg for his big brother to come in and save the day but I couldn't even do that."

Jaehyun steps forwards and gently grabs the older by the shoulders, briefly holding eye contact before Taeyong shrugs him off.

"I failed Jisung. I failed my parents. They trusted me to look after him."

The older gazes at the younger, eyes filled sorrow and anger, one more time before pushing past him, exiting the roof top.

— — — —

Taeyong wasn't in the room when Jaehyun followed after him a few minutes after he walked away.

This was the younger's first day, he literally has no idea where he needs to go to eat. He is currently stalking the corridors, hoping he will find someone else but the halls seem to be empty.

He hasn't even been here long enough to know where Taeyong would go when he's feeling this way.

He wishes he could do more to help the silver haired male. He struggles to comfort him and it pains him to see someone in so much pain.

"Jaehyun?" A voice which is kind of familiar to the brown haired male calls his name. The newcomer stops in his steps and turns to view the person approaching.

He recognises the blond haired man as the person who came to notify Taeyong of his brother's departure earlier.

"I'm Yuta, Taeyong's friend" The man extends his hand. Warily, the younger shakes it, holding this mans gaze the entire time.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm afraid I'm dating someone else. Taeyong's all yours if you want him" The light haired chuckles. "That is, if he will want you."

"W-What?" Jaehyun stutters at the older's words.

"You're going to be training with us soon" Yuta changes the topic, easily brushing off the other subject. "I wanted to introduce myself before we started. Doyoung doesn't like us conversing too much during training."

The younger seems to be slightly surprised by this. Doyoung trains them? Usually the leader of an organisation never has the time to train others.

"Doyoung is our instructor?" He voices his thought, earning a small chuckle from the light haired older.

"One of them. Taeil is the main one. The pair work together along with another instructor who you'll meet soon enough."

Jaehyun nods slowly as he processes the new information. He hadn't heard anything about a third instructor prior to this. He's interested in a way to see who it'll be.

On the bright side, he can't be any more insane then Doyoung or Taeil...Right?

"What are you doing in the east wing anyways? Your room is in the south wing" Yuta questions suddenly, pulling the younger from his thoughts.

"Taeyong wasn't in the room, so I decided to see if I could find someone who could lead me to food" Jaehyun explains.

Yuta laughs under his breath, stepping forward to pat the younger's shoulder. "Follow me my friend."

Jaehyun happily follows the light haired male who leads him down three corridors before they end up in a huge room. It looks familiar to the cafeteria which was at his school, yet it's at least five times the size.

Each table seems to have people seated at it. A mixture of boys and girls. Only a few tables remain completely empty.

"Now is the time where everyone comes for breakfast" Yuta informs the younger as they hover by the doorway.

"What kind of food do you want? We have cereal, eggs, toast, but no bacon. We only get bacon once each fortnight and that day isn't today."

"I don't mind" Jaehyun hardly hears what the older says as he just scans his eyes over the entire room. As soon as he saw there were girls in here as well, his thoughts immediately went to Hye.

She should be in here as well. They would've brought her to eat as well. At least he hopes. He needs to see her.

"Yuta!" A voice which is familiar to Jaehyun calls the light haired male's name. They both look before them to see a tall man standing before them.

"Hey Lucas" Yuta smiles at the dark haired male.

Lucas folds his arms across his chest, smiling faintly as he meets Jaehyun's gaze. "You're the new kid."

"Take him to our table would you?" Yuta gently nudges Jaehyun's ribs with his elbow. "I'm going to grab breakfast."

"Gladly" Lucas eyes the older from head to toe before turning on his heel. He walks past a few tables before coming to a halt before a table which has two people seated there already.

Jaehyun immediately recognised the silver haired male who is slowly eating a bowl of cereal. He doesn't look up at the brown haired male, even as he moves to take a seat next to the older.

Taeyong's eyes are all red and puffed from crying.   
It seems he continued after he left the rooftop. Jaehyun feels a sharp pang of hurt in his heart as he looks at him.

He wants to say something but he doesn't know what. He can't ask if he's okay. Of course he isn't. He just watched as this place took his brother away from him, for good.

"Jae!"

The younger averts his gaze to just behind where they are seated and feels himself growing overwhelmed as he sees Hye rushing over to him.

He stands from his seat and runs to meet her in the middle. Instantly he wraps his arms around her and holds onto her as tight as ever.

No words are shared as the pair just hold onto each other. Hye has tears streaming down her cheeks as she silently cries even though she tries not to.

"Are you okay? Did they look after you?" Jaehyun asks, tone filled with worry as he pulls away from her enough to examine her face and make sure she isn't hurt.

"I want mother and father" She cries softly.

Jaehyun frowns as he pulls her into his arms again. He gently pats her back as he tries to soothe her, as best as he can.

"She's doing well" A foreign voice states. The brown haired male slowly raises his head to see a woman with black hair standing before them.

"Hyuna, long time no see" Lucas exclaims as he makes his way over to them all. Jaehyun turns his head to see Taeyong watching on as the younger reunites with his sister.

As soon as their eyes meet, Taeyong turns away again.

"She has nightmares a lot" Jaehyun mutters as he brings attention back to Hyuna. "You have to leave the hallway light on and her door open a jar."

Hyuna smiles sympathetically as she steps forward, gently placing her hand on top of Hye's head.

"I've been watching over these for five years and I've seen all different kinds of sleeping habits and necessities. Don't worry about her, she's in good hands."

Jaehyun can't help but feel slightly assured as he listens to the woman speaking. She sounds as though she really cares for these kids.

As though she will really care for his sister.

"I'm sorry, but we need to get back. You both can see each other again at lunch" Hyuna frowns as she delivers the news.

"You don't get out of that ward very often" Lucas remarks, reminding the pair of his presence behind Jaehyun.

"Who else will look after the girls? I don't see you stepping forward" Hyuna scoffs at him.

Jaehyun ignores them both as he presses a kiss to Hye's forehead. The tears seem to flow faster as he lets her go.

"Stay strong for me okay? We'll see each other again soon. You're going to be okay" He assures her.

"I don't want to leave you" She sobs.

"I love you Hye. Be a good girl and don't cause Hyuna too much trouble. She's only here to help you" Jaehyun roughs up her hair as Hyuna takes her hand.

Hye weakly waves at her brother as she walks off with Hyuna. Jaehyun watches the pair as they leave the cafeteria.

Lucas continues to grin as he nudges the brown haired male's elbow. "Let's go to the table. You should eat."

Jaehyun doesn't respond as he walks back to where they were prior. He takes his seat beside Taeyong while Lucas moves to be seated opposite.

Yuta has returned by this point, he is seated near the dark haired male who Jaehyun hasn't been introduced to.

"You and your sister look alike" Yuta remarks as he points to the bowl of cereal in front of Jaehyun. "Eat."

"Mother used to say we both got our father's dimples" Jaehyun smiles as he recalls the memory.

He takes a mouthful of his cereal before tilting his head to check in on Taeyong. The silver haired male remains silent as he eats his own breakfast.

"That is Sicheng by the way" Lucas mentions suddenly, pointing to the dark haired male with his spoon.

"My boyfriend" Yuta adds with a grin. Sicheng blushes as the light haired male says this.

"I'm Jaehyun" The brown haired male introduces himself to the other who just smiles at him, cheeks still blushed.

"How old are you?" He questions.

"19" Jaehyun replies simply.

"You'll be training with us then" Sicheng remarks, sharing a gaze with his boyfriend who nods in confirmation.

"We will all be training together" Yuta remarks.

"And running away together" Taeyong mutters beneath his breath. His voice is so soft that Jaehyun only just hears him. The others miss what he says completely.

The younger looks at him in slight confusion. The older cant be serious about the whole running away thing they spoke about before.

This place seems to be pretty hard to get in or out of. Even if they had people who had been here for several years leading them out.

"We couldn't" Jaehyun states lowly.

This grabs the attention from Lucas who notices the pair muttering to each other.

"Speak louder, we can't hear you" He says, his expression filled with genuine interest in what they have to say.

Taeyong flares at the brown haired male beside him before bringing his attention to the others who are at the table with them.

"I think we should run away from this place. I'm sick of tearing families apart. I'm sick of having to fake pleasantries with my parent's killer each day."

Yuta chokes on his water as he hears this. Sicheng immediately hands him a napkin so he can wipe away the water from around his lips.

"You can't be serious" Lucas laughs nervously, slowly growing silent as he sees the deadly serious expression upon Taeyong's face.

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Yuta asks, his tone filled with disbelief at the suggestion.

"I'm not sure" The silver haired male admits quietly. "We would figure that out. They took Jisung away, who knows..."

He pauses as he turns his head to look at Jaehyun, directing his next words to the younger. "Hye could be next."

This sends a wave of fear through the brown haired male. He couldn't lose Hye. There is no way he would let that happen.

"Where would we go?" Lucas doesn't like the sound of this at all. "What about the monsters?"

"We would bring weapons to fight the monsters. Part of our training is fighting the monsters so we should be fine in that area" Taeyong states firmly.

"Where would we go?" Yuta repeats Lucas' first question which was selectively ignored by Taeyong.

Taeyong breathes a sigh of frustration and e combs his fingers through his hair before responding, his tone growing more annoyed by the minute.

"Didn't they give you a safe house on the other side of the city?" The silver haired throws the question in response to his friend.

Sicheng seems to look slightly confused by this, as though he hadn't been told about this supposed safe house. A look of realisation fills Lucas' eyes as he seems to know what Taeyong speaks of.

"What safe house?" Sicheng mutters, tone bitter.

"Last year my father told me he had arranged for a safe house to be built on the border of Seoul upon my birth. It has the same level security as this place. It's there for me to flee to if this institution ever falls." Yuta explains to those seated at the table.

"Let me guess, they can't let the King get harmed" Sicheng moves over on the bench, placing some distance between him and his boyfriend.

The light haired male doesn't respond, instead raising his gaze to meet Taeyongs, yet it's Lucas who speaks.

"Even if we went there, we would still have to actually get there without dying. Which includes leaving this place without them beheading us." He speaks in a hushed tone.

"Surely they have some kind of security system which we could use to our advantage" Jaehyun speaks up.

Taeyong turns his head to meet his gaze, the look of concentration slowly changes to one of understanding as he seems to remember something.

"The walls" He states firmly. "When I first came here, a monster made it within the walls and they had to activate the security system. They have these walls which come down from the roof and go to the floor when activated. They seperate the central part of this place from not only the exits but the corridors which are near the exits."

"We would need to do research into how long it takes for these things to close and map them" Lucas remarks.

Yuta moves to say something to Sicheng but he's cut off as the dark haired male suddenly stands from his seat.

"If it's okay, I need to go and have a shower before training starts." He shares a glance of hurt to his boyfriend. "I feel unwanted here anyways."

"Sicheng ah" Yuta goes to grab his arm but he moves faster, the younger is gone before the light haired male can ever brush his fingers.

"Ah Jaehyun, this will be your day training session" Lucas exclaims, trying to lighten the mood.

"Should I be nervous? I mean, I got a black belt in karate when I was younger" The brown haired male shrugs his shoulders as though it weren't much of an achievement.

"If you think that black belt will help you then you are in for quite the surprise" Taeyong speaks, his words sharp.

"Any one can buy a belt."

— — — —

Jaehyun couldn't help but feel nervous as he entered the training hall alongside Taeyong and Lucas. Yuta left them to try and find Sicheng.

It seems the pair are still on rough terms as they have two people standing between them as they are already in the hall.

The newcomer is surprised to see that there is only a small handful of people here, all of which are guys.

"Stay beside me, don't talk unless they talk to you and on any terms do not leave my side throughout the whole time" Taeyong mutters in the younger's ear.

"Understood" Jaehyun replies softly, taking his place to the older's left, Lucas on his other side.

The chatter in the room instantly ceases as the doors open. All heads turn and some even bow as Taeil enters. He smirks at everyone as he slowly walks to the centre of the room.

The doors nearly close but stop as someone places their hands on them, pushing them open once more. Doyoung swiftly walks to be by his fiancé's side.

Taeil chews his gum as he examines each face, one by one, it's almost as though he were trying to read the fear on each persons face.

The silver haired male to Jaehyun's right doesn't seem to be afraid in the slightest, nor does Lucas, Yuta or Sicheng. It's only the others who Jaehyun assumes to be new.

A loud bang echoes through the room as the doors slam open. This must be the third instructor which Yuta mentioned before.

The male is a reasonable height, his hair a light blonde colour, similar to Yuta's. He keeps his head held high as he walks over to be standing beside Doyoung and Taeil.

"I'm seeing a lot of new faces" The blonde haired male speaks with a soft smile on his features. "Welcome, my name is Kun."

"You all know who I am" Doyoung skips over his intro.

"Whenever you go on missions, you'll be stuck with me" Taeil grins. "Remember, indeed I killed your parents, but it was all for a good cause. Also they fought back. Never forget about self defence."

Jaehyun sub-consciously clenches his hands into fists at his sides. No matter what this man says, he will never forgive him for how he shot his parents.

"Today I want to focus on your aim with the guns" Kun speaks up, his voice firm. The soft smile continues to cover his expression.

"Pair up, guns are in the baskets before the targets. You get two shots each before switching. Each time you miss the centre you get to stand before the target and trust that your partner won't shoot you" Taeil clasps his hands together as though he were excited to see if someone would be hurt.

Doyoung chuckles as he sees his fiancé smiling, "Get started" he orders.

"You're with me" Taeyong states before Jaehyun has a chance to even turn to face him. Lucas doesn't seem bothered by this, he just pairs up with a guy who was standing right behind him.

Taeyong leads Jaehyun over to one of the targets and gestures to the basket where two hand guns lay.

"Pick it up."

Jaehyun leans down and pulls the weapon out of the basket. He wraps his hand around the handle, finger around the trigger.

"Point it at the target, dead centre unless you want to get shot." Taeyong instructs firmly.

The brown haired male nods slowly as he obeys the instructions. He has never fired a gun before, yet he has seen enough movies to have a small idea as to how to pull the trigger.

He raises his arm and closes one eye, trying to aim for the bullseye. Slowly he moves his left arm to hold the gun as well, helping to stabilise his grip on the weapon.

His whole body flinches as he finally pulls the trigger, the bang echoing through his ears.

Lowering the gun, he frowns as he notices his bullet completely missed target.

Taeyong sighs deeply, walking up to him.

"Here" He stands behind the younger, caging him in his arms as he raises Jaehyun's right hand with the gun.

"Wrap your left hand around it like this" He instructs, grabbing the younger's hand, positioning it. He doesn't move away but instead wraps his hands around the gun on top of Jaehyun's.

The younger can't think straight as the older's entire body is pressed against him. He can feel his ears turning redder by the second.

"Bang" Taeyong mutters as he pulls the trigger.

The silver haired male let's go of Jaehyun, stepping away from him as soon as the bullet has been fired. Jaehyun can't believe his eyes when he sees that it has landed in the middle of the bullseye.

He turns to thank Taeyong but is interrupted as Taeyong loads the other gun which was in the basket.

"Rules are rules. Against the target" The silver haired male nods his head in the direction of the target. The brown haired male swallows nervously as he places his gun back into the empty basket before making his way to the target.

Softly, he leans against it. Moving his head to the side where there is another person who stands before the target. A gun is fired and the person immediately crumples to the ground.

"Oh my god" the person with the gun begins to panic as he looks at what he just did.

Kun notices this and walks over to him.   
He sighs as he takes the gun from the man.

"You aren't meant to shoot your teammates. It isn't very friendly" The blond haired male sounds highly irritated.

"I'm so sorry. I've never fired a gun before" The man begs for forgiveness and Kun actually smiles as though he has forgiven him.

Before the other has a chance to react, the blond haired male raises his gun and shoots him, the bullet hits him right in between his eyebrows.

Jaehyun lets out a small gasp of horror as he witnesses this. No one else in the room has stopped to watch on, excluding Jaehyun and about three other people.

Kun meets Jaehyun's gaze and grins at the newcomer. He throws the gun back into the basket and walks along to watch the next pair.

"Jaehyun, look at me" Taeyong calls out, bringing the younger's attention back to him. "Hold my gaze. Trust me, I never miss."

The younger feels assured by the older's words. Something about the way he talks calms him. Even after he just witnessed two people being shot dead.

Taeyong doesn't squint as he points the gun, only holding it with one arm. This doesn't help Jaehyun's anxiety at all.

He pulls the trigger and Jaehyun closes his eyes, bracing for the impact. Yet it never comes.

Slowly, he opens his eyes and realised he hasn't been shot. He steps away from the target and turns to see the bullet has pierced the target a mere hair away from the top of his head.

He turns to face Taeyong again who just smiles tightly at him, lowering the gun once more.

"You're okay." Is all he says.


	8. Chapter 8

Yuta frowns as he enters his shared bedroom. Sicheng stands by the window with his arms folded across his chest. He doesn't say anything to greet his boyfriend, not even turning to look at him.

"Sicheng ah, please don't be like this" The light haired male pleads as he softly closes the door behind him, taking small steps over to the younger.

The dark haired males doesn't open his mouth, keeping his position the same as he just stares blankly out the window.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the safe house. I guess it just slipped my mind" Yuta attempts to make an excuse but the younger doesn't accept it.

"How does something that big just slip from your mind?" He asks bitterly. "And you still managed to tell Taeyong. It slipped your mind for me but not for him."

The blond haired male rolls his eyes as he hears this. The pair have had several fights due to the younger being jealous of Taeyong. They are never pleasant and Yuta only just manages to save himself each time.

"He's my friend, Sicheng. You should by now that he will always stay as that. He will never be anything more to me. You are my boyfriend. You are the one I love."

"If you love me so much, then why do you keep so many secrets? I feel like I don't know you anymore." The younger's voice begins to waver. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is for me when Taeyong brings up something about you which I don't know about?"

The older walks over to the other and gently grabs his arm, turning him around so they are now facing each other.

"I know I am just being a jealous brat, but can you blame me? You told him about becoming King weeks before I found out. You are always consulting him first. And the icing to the cake is how you lost your virginity to him. There is a super tight bond between you too and it shouldn't annoy me this much but it does."

"I don't mean to keep these secrets, my love. Most of the time I don't know how to tell you without causing you to worry about me. The last thing I want is for you to be unhappy and worrying about some kind of useless issue." Yuta states slowly.

"My coronation for example, there is nothing anyone can do about it. And yes it sucks because I don't know how I'll be able to keep you by my side when it happens and I am petrified. I don't want to lose you."

Yuta's eyes begin to water as his emotions take hold of his senses.

"For you I will do whatever it takes. I will find a way for us to be together. No matter what happens, I am going to fight for us. I can't lose you. I really can't."

Sicheng steps forwards and wraps his arms around his boyfriend who is now in tears. He does his best to hold back on his own tears as the pair just hold onto each other tightly.

After a few moments, Sicheng pulls away from the older as he wipes the tears from his eyes.

"What is it?" Yuta queries, a steady stream of tears still flowing from his eyes.

"Remember how I promised you that I would keep you safe?" Sicheng asks the older who nods slowly.

"I have a copy of the security walls. I have the map folded away beneath the chest of drawers."

"Really?!" Yuta smiles weakly as he raises a hand to cup the younger's cheek. "We should take it to Taeyong."

Sicheng sighs softly. Looking up into his boyfriend's eyes be smiles a smile filled with sorrow.

"If this doesn't work" His voice is barely a whisper. "If we get caught trying to escape, if we fail-"

"What are you saying Sicheng?" Yuta interrupts as he pushes for the younger to make his point.

"I want to break up. If we are stuck here then I don't want to be together anymore." The younger chokes back on a sob as he says this.

Yuta lowers his hand and steps backward, looking at the other in pure horror and confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Listen to me, if we stay here you will still be crowned King and under your father's rules. There is no room for me there and I don't want to hold you back. I know you will be an amazing king but without me." Sicheng explains his reasons.

"This isn't going to fail, Sicheng. I promise you, we will get out of here and we will get married" Yuta states firmly yet harshly.

This surprises Sicheng who can't help but look at the older with widened eyes.

"M-Married?" He stutters.

"I told you, I am not losing you" The blond haired male closes the distance between them again as he grabs the younger's waist.

"Just trust me, okay?" he attempts a smile of hope.

The younger begins to cry even harder as he just nods in agreement.

— — — —

By the end of the training session, Jaehyun has hit the centre of the bullseye twice in a row. Taeyong couldn't help but feel slightly proud as he saw the new comer improving. This was good news for the younger as it meant the instructors would focus on the others more than him.

It gives him more space to breathe.

When Taeyong first arrived at this place, he felt that his main aim would be to keep Doyoung off his back. It was already painful enough being ripped away his family, let alone having to worry about keeping the instructors satisfied.

There was still a few hours until dinner. Lunch was eaten within 15 minutes once they all got out of training. Taeyong had never seen Jaehyun so hungry.

Then again, the newcomer hasn't even been here for 24 hours yet. There's many things which the older hasn't witnessed him doing.

He watches on curiously as the younger whistles beneath his breath, adjusting the belt which keeps his pants held at his waist.

The brown haired male pauses before turning his head just in time to catch the older watching him. Shyly he tilts his head to the side.

"What is it?" He questions as he folds his arms across his chest, holding the silver haired's gaze.

Taeyong shakes his head, sighing softly. "Nothing. I'm just thinking about the whole running away thing." He tries to change the topic as he pushes himself off the wall which he has been leaning against.

"You certainly are very serious about this whole idea" Jaehyun chuckles softly to himself, this doesn't rub off very well on the older who's gaze turns sour.

"Are you not?" He snaps harshly.

Jaehyun hesitates before answering, "I'm not sure. To be completely honest I don't know. What's happened to us is terrible but I don't think we would survive very long on the streets. Yes it's awful here but it's safe."

"You're concerned about your own safety?" Taeyong exclaims, not even attempting to hide the disappointment in his tone.

"I wouldn't care if I died, Taeyong." Jaehyun raises his voice. Shocking the older into silence. "It's Hye I care about. She's too young and has her entire life ahead of her. Besides, it's my job to protect her and my job alone."

"You'd throw away your own safety if that meant your sister would be safe" The silver haired male connects the dots, forming a tight smile on the younger's features.

"Hye is merely 12 years old. Yet she has already witnessed the murder of her parents," Jaehyun speaks solemnly. "She needs me and I don't know how I could protect her outside of these walls."

The silver haired male pauses for a few moments as he tries to think of how to respond to this. He completely understands what the younger is saying, these mirror his own concerns which he held when he first arrived at the institute.

"You've seen how Doyoung and Taeil right? You understand how crazy they are?" Taeyong questions the brown haired male who just sighs.

"Of course I have. Doyoung came and had a one on one conversation with me and after that trip in the van showed me enough of Taeil." Jaehyun explains. "But Hyuna seems to be stable. I only saw her briefly and you even told me, she's great with the girls. So I'm not too concerned."

Taeyong isn't sure what else could say. The younger seems to have made his mind up for now, there's no point in arguing at this exact time. They won't be able to start even planning their escape until someone looks into the security walls.

There is a silence between the two as the silvered haired male just leans back against the head of his bed, bringing his knees up to his chest. Jaehyun walks over to window and gently moves the curtain aside so he can peer outside.

A van drives through the gates. it comes to a stop and the younger watches as Taeil hops out of it alongside a small boy and girl. Johnny trails behind with Lucas.

"They didn't send you on that mission?" Jaehyun turns to question Taeyong who just shrugs.

"We don't get called to every single capturing. We would grow fatigued too quickly that way. Whilst they don't treat us perfectly, they do try to be humane even if its in the slightest way."

The younger takes a couple steps backward until he is close enough to just sit down on his own bed. He gazes in the older's direction and feels part of his heart growing heavier as he sees the silver haired's expression.

He's hurting.

"Taeyong" Jaehyun calls his name softly, not even fully sure of what he is going to say. The older moves his head to the side so he can make eye contact with the brown haired male, waiting for him to continue.

"Do you want to talk about what happened to Jisung? I may not be a psychologist but I'm training to be a neurosurgeon. We cover a lot of...Brain stuff. Talking should help you."

The silver haired male scoffs, rolling his eyes as he hears this. "You think that I'd want to share all of my personal life with you? We hardly know each other."

"We're roommates." The younger's voice trails off. "And if we are going to run away, I would like to know more about what's going on inside the head of the leader."

The older's expression seems to lighten up as he tries to think of what to say. He didn't expect the younger to say anything similar to that. He just agreed to run away...Did he?

"What is there to say?" Taeyong begins to fiddle with his hands, trying to focus on something else so the tears won't fall.

"Jisung and I were always really tight. If he ever got picked on, I would always beat up the bully. I would always protect him. Not only did I promise my mother, I promised myself that I would always keep him safe, no matter where we were. He is my little brother. It is my job to protect him."

"I can understand that feeling" Jaehyun mutters beneath his breath.

"It was my fault that he went into that coma three years ago." Taeyong ignores the younger's statement. "He came into my room, late one night and he was crying. I asked him what had happened and he told me that there were other boys who were threatening him. Apparently they knew what my father had done to Taeil. They blamed Jisung for how Taeil killed their parents."

The younger's eyes begin to water as he hears the older speak. He can see where this story is going and he doesn't like it.

"I didn't understand how anyone could've figured out that Jisung and I were the children of the man who killed Taeil's parents. So I told Jisung that they were lying and that he would be okay. After he stopped crying, I sent him back to his room. It was on his way back that these boys faced him. They attacked him and hit him in the head with a rock, sending him into a coma."

"Taeyong, I'm so sorry" Jaehyun speaks up. There is a moment of silence between the two as a look of sorrow passes between them.

"That is exactly what everyone says. They are sorry yet they aren't at fault. I've never understood why people apologise when they had nothing to do with it" Taeyong frowns.

"If someone dies, the person's first response is 'I'm sorry.' It's never made much sense to me."

"Have you ever thought that maybe we are apologising for the lack of our ability to do anything? There's nothing that a person is able to do once they have been told news like that from another individual." Jaehyun speaks quietly.

The silver haired male raises his hand to his mouth, beginning to chew on his nails.

The younger slower stands from his bed and begins to make his way over to take a seat at the end of Taeyong's.

Their eyes meet as Jaehyun hesitantly moves to place his hand on the older's knee, squeezing it reassuringly.

"The most we can do is provide a shoulder to cry on" He adds to his previous statement.

Taeyong finds himself lowering the hand away from his mouth. He breaks eye contact as his gaze flickers down to where the younger hold his knee. He moves his other hand as though he were going to place it atop the younger's yet he is startled as there is a knock at the door.

Jaehyun pulls his hand away and stands from the bed, causing the older to frown slightly at the disappearance of his touch.

"Who is it?" The familiar, icy tone has returned thickly to the older's voice.

"It's me" Yuta calls out. "I'm with Sicheng."

Taeyong locks gazes with the younger as he nods once, signalling its okay to open the door. The younger walks over to it and gently pulls it open.

Yuta and Sicheng walk into the room, Jaehyun closing it once more behind them.

"We have a map of the security walls" Yuta explains as he hands the folded bit of paper to Taeyong. The silver haired male instantly grows more alert as he swings his legs over the side of the bed, they now touch the floor as he sits on the very edge of his bed.

Unfolding the A3 sized map, his brows furrow as he concentrates on every detail which is on the page before him.

"This should provide information for us to plan our escape" Sicheng adds quietly. Yuta notices the slight waver to his voice, gently squeezing their intertwined hands reassuringly.

Taeyong stands from the bed, not moving his eyes from the paper at all.

"They take approximately 20 seconds to hit the floor once they leave their little hiding holes in the ceiling." He voices his thoughts.

"The only one we would have to worry about is the one near the south exit. If we head for that one, we avoid all the others as well as most of the security in this place. Their attention is focused on the front of this place, not the back."

Jaehyun walks over to peer over the older's shoulder, looking at the map himself. He instantly notices a flaw.

"Hye is in the west wing. When do we get her?" All eyes in the room turn to the brown haired male as he raises this concern.

"We can't bring a child with us. Its way too dangerous" Yuta remarks firmly.

Taeyong ignores his friend as he just lowers his gaze to the map. There are at least two walls they would have to deal with and the security dorms if they took the west exit. Unless, they took Hye then headed south.

It would take the authorities at least 30 minutes to notice a child was missing. From experience, Taeyong knows the guards check the location of the younger girls and boys at least every 30 minutes.

If they timed their capture of her to be straight after one of these checks, it would give them time to make their way to the south wing, toward the south exit.

From there they would have 20 seconds as soon as the alarms begin to sound to get past that wall. Once past the wall, they just have to simply leave through the door and climb the barbed wire fence.

Barbed wire...

That's too risky. They'd easily get cut and caught on the fence. It would be stupid to climb it, they can't afford to get injured on the initial escape.

If they were able to use one of the vans, they could easily drive through the fence and they'd be gone. Yet those vehicles max out at 150 kilometres an hour. The other vehicles they have at this place don't max out until 400 kilometres an hour.

They'd easily catch up. It would be best to take one of these vehicles but they only seat two people.

Space in the vehicle is also needed for weapons, but how are they going to be able to bring weapons with them as they flee?

At most they could bring a hand gun each and a few daggers. Maybe Taeyong could take a rifle and Lucas would be able to carry a duffel bag filled with food, or at least weapons they can use to get food?

"Taeyong?" Jaehyun calls his name, pulling him out of his thought process.

"We will get her before heading to the south exit." The silver haired male informs everyone before making his way to the door, grabbing the door handle. "We need to discuss with Lucas. I need to know what he can carry."

— — — —

Lucas was comfortably chewing on a muesli bar whilst attempting to access the security files to the institute. He needed to gain access to the map which holds the layout of the security walls in this place.

So far he had been trying to do so for nearly four hours with little to no success or improvements.

The hurried knocks at his door caused him to jump from his skin, immediately slamming the lid of laptop shut.

He gets off his bed and moves to open the door. Before he can say hi, Taeyong along with Jaehyun, Yuta and Sicheng all come barging in. Each one of them take a seat on the spare bed excluding Taeyong who hovers in the middle of the room.

"Hello guys" Lucas greets with a sarcastic smile before closing his door, immediately knowing what this chat will be about.

"Yuta and Sicheng managed to get a copy of the map of the security walls" Taeyong mutters which causes Lucas' expression to sink.

The past four hours of his time just went down the drain in an instant.

"It seems that the south exit would be the best option to leave through. The only thing is, we need to grab Hye on the way out, she's in the west wing."

Taeyong proceeds to explain to the dark haired male all which he managed to plan within his own thoughts a few minutes ago, voicing how he is unsure of what would be the most effective way to get past the fence.

"If we go by car then we can move faster, and we can take the faster cars" Lucas begins to suggest new ideas which Taeyong is more than happy to hear.

"If we split up, there would be three cars driving in different directions. It'll make it harder for the guards to follow cause who will they go after first?"

"They have enough to go after all of us" Yuta speaks up. "They'd send the best after me due to my status. The next best would go to Taeyong as he is one of the only good collectors they have."

The silver haired male begins to bite his nails again as all of this flows through his head.

"Whoever is sent on the next mission should plant three of these vehicles by the south exit" Sicheng mentions. "Tell the guards that you are testing the fuel levels. It isn't unusual for a collector to randomly drive the cars to see which has fuel and which doesn't."

Taeyong lowers his hand from his mouth as he starts to voice the next part of the plan.

"Yuta and Sicheng in one car, Lucas and Hye in another and Jaehyun will go with me. We will need to go in different routes then meet up again later on."

"We should meet at the the closest city. There should be other people there which will halt the institute's actions as they aren't allowed to randomly appear in a public area without Doyoung having announced it." Yuta suggests.

Nodding, Taeyong folds the map once more.

"We will initiate this plan at 6pm tomorrow. No later and no earlier. Jaehyun and I will work on gathering Hye, Lucas can focus on weapons, Yuta can focus on water or at least bottles and a few food supplies whilst Sicheng can bring the medical equipment."

Jaehyun folds his arms across his chest as he weakly holds himself together. He can't admit it out loud but he is feeling slightly afraid.

He still doesn't understand how they are going to keep Hye safe, let alone themselves. This plan sounds like it will work.

It's their actions after this which causes him a great amount of fear.

— — — —

Doyoung enters his shared room with a solemn expression. Taeil notices immediately. he moves from his seated position to wrap his arms around the taller male.

The raven haired male is welcome to this embrace as he just buries his face into the crook of the older's neck.

"What's wrong?" Taeil soon asks.

"Do you ever miss your parents?" Doyoung answers with another question.

"Of course I do" Taeil exclaims as he pulls away, enough to caress the younger's cheek. "I miss them more as each day goes by."

"How do you deal with it?" The raven haired male continues to press for more information even though he is almost certain he already knows it all.

"Being crazy tends to help a lot. How can you feel sorrow in your mind if you've lost it?" The older chuckles softly.

"And I have you by my side. Seeing you everyday is a constant reminder that whilst I may be without my parents, I am with the love of my life."

Doyoung leans down, closing the distance between them as he places his lips against the older's. Taeil's arms move to wrap themselves around the younger's neck as he rolls his hips into the other.

Before it can get too heated, the brown haired male pulls away, smirking to himself.

"I want to paint the roses red for you" He remarks softly causing Doyoung to raise a brow in slight confusion whilst he keeps smiling.

"Wait here, I may be a few minutes" Taeil pecks his lips before disappearing into the ensuite, closing the door behind him.

The soft smile doesn't fade from his face as he removes his tie, throwing it to the floor, he begins to work away at the buttons of his shirt.

He is instantly more comfortable once the white fabric is shrugged from his shoulders, onto the floor. Kicking off his shoes, he walks over to the king sized bed and lays on his back. Taking a few deep breaths he waits for the older to come out again.

Hearing the lock on the door click as it is unlocked, the raven haired male moves to be seated as he watches the ensuite door swing open. The man who stands in the doorway is indeed his but he isn't the same.

This man has bright red hair.

"Consider this rose, painted" Taeil smirks as he walks over to straddle the younger on the end of the bed. Doyoung happily places his hands on his waist.

The red haired male crashes his lips against the younger's pushing him down onto the bed once more.


	9. Chapter 9

It was the morning of the day which the escape had been planned. Jaehyun would be lying if he said he slept well. He managed to get about 30 minutes of sleep. If that. However, across the room, the silver haired male seemed to have slept soundly.

The older must be looking forward to this. He has been here for such a long time and seems to have been thinking about escaping for a while now.

Especially now that Jisung has been sent away, no doubt Taeyong will want to go after him. If it was Hye who had been taken away, Jaehyun wouldn't have hesitated to start talk of an escape.

Taeyong seemed to still be asleep as he laid with his back facing the younger.

Gently kicking off the blankets, Jaehyun gets out of his bed and starts to get dressed. He wants to see Lucas before they initiate the plan tonight.

He is riding with Hye and Jaehyun needs to make sure this person knows how to calm her as she will be quite distressed.

The newcomer had mentioned to Taeyong that he would prefer to travel with Hye. The silver haired male had simply pointed out that Jaehyun had no knowledge of how to drive one of these vehicles nor did he know where this supposed city is located.

Once he has managed to become fully clothed, Jaehyun exits the room, doing his best to shut the door as softly as he can.

He follows the corridors, turning and changing direction as he remembered Taeyong doing so when they had made their way to Lucas' room the day prior.

Soon he arrives at the familiar door, he doesn't hesitate to knock on the wooden surface.

He hears a loud thud soon followed by a groan. Heavy footsteps can be heard as Lucas makes his way to the door.

Swinging it open, he pauses as he sees Jaehyun standing there with a soft smile on his features.

He blinks a few times as he tries to adjust to the light illuminating from the corridor into his room.

"Jaehyun? What do I owe for this visit?" Lucas mutters, rubbing the sleep from his eye with the palm of his hand.

"You're travelling with Hye tonight" The older speaks, too loud.

Panicking, Lucas instantly grabs him by his arm and pulls him into his room, slamming the door closed behind them.

"Don't speak so freely and loudly about this. Do you want to get caught?!" He exclaims in a hushed tone.

"Sorry" Jaehyun raises his hands in surrender before continuing. " I just wanted to make sure you knew how to keep her calm as I know she will be visibly distressed."

"It can't be that hard, she has a stuffed animal right? I'll just give it to her and pretend it talks or whatever" Lucas shrugs off the older's concern.

"She's 12, Lucas. She stopped believing her toys could talk like seven years ago." The brown haired scoffs. "You just have to distract her. Ask her to tell you a story or to talk about the time she went camping alone with her big brother. That seems to work."

Before Lucas has time to respond, there is a loud banging on his door. Cringing at the noise, Lucas rushes over to it, pulling it open to reveal a very angry Taeyong.

The silver haired male looks straight past him to where Jaehyun is standing. He storms over to the younger and grabs him by the collar of his shirt, slamming him against the wall.

"Don't do that to me" He snaps bitterly.

Jaehyun stares at the older, his eyes widened with shock and confusion. He has no idea what the silver haired male is speaking about.

"I just lost my brother and you decide it would be funny to leave the room before I wake up?!" Taeyong tightens his grip on the younger who is beginning to understand.

"You could've left a note! Do you have any idea how scared I was? I thought they might've gotten to you as well."

"Sorry but I didn't want to wake you" Jaehyun frowns slightly. "I didn't realise you had such strong feelings in regards to knowing where I am all the time."

The silver haired male opens his mouth to speak but closes it once more, letting go of the younger's shirt.

"If you're done socialising, I'd like to go over the plan with everyone in our room. Yuta and Sicheng should be there already." The older lowers his tone.

"Okay" Jaehyun fixes his shirt, making it straight again.

The older goes to leave the room but is halted as Lucas calls out, causing him to turn to face the younger once more.

"Taeyong, I'm going to get dressed then grab a bit of toast before heading to your room" He explains.

"Why are you telling me that?" The older sounds highly irritated as he asks this.

"So you don't get worried about my whereabouts" Lucas grins as though he were pleased with himself.

"I don't care about your whereabouts" The silver haired male snaps harshly before making his way out of the room.

Jaehyun just shrugs at Lucas before following the steps of the older.

— — — —

Yuta and Sicheng were already in the room by the time the others arrived. Both have seemed to made up nicely considering a mere 24 hours ago, Sicheng stormed off on his boyfriend at lunch.

The Chinese male currently leans into the older's side, their hands are linked.

"Do we need to go over the plan?" Yuta sounds bored as he asks this. "I have other things I'd prefer to be doing, such as you know, eating breakfast."

"We can't screw this up, Yuta." Taeyong speaks in a low yet firm tone. "We have one chance and if we ruin it, we will be stuck here for the rest of our lives."

"I think we all understand the plan for tonight, but what about tomorrow? Even once we get to this safe house, it's not like we have families to go back to" Jaehyun questions with a frown.

Taeyong turns to the younger and just looks at him with a gaze filled with disappointment.

"I thought you were okay with this. What did I miss?"

"I am okay with it, it's just...I don't understand what's next." Jaehyun sighs as he folds his arms across his chest.

The silver haired male walks up to the younger so they are only a step apart as he meets the brown haired's gaze.

"Trust me okay? Honestly I'm not sure myself as to what is next, but we will figure it out and will do so together. So please just trust me with this."

Suddenly the door swings open, startling everyone within the room as Lucas happily walks into join them.

"Sorry I took so long" He states, attempting to close the door behind him but it won't close fully.

Confused, he turns to face the door and that's when he notices someone has placed their foot in the way. He lets go of the door, allowing for the person on the other side to push it open again.

"What is the means of this?" Taeil chirps as he walks into the room. "Please tell me this is mother's club. I'd love to be part of the gossip."

Taeyong grows extremely tense as he takes a few steps away from Jaehyun, distancing the pair.

Yuta and Sicheng both stand from the bed, still holding hands as they face the red haired male in the doorway, whilst Lucas just continues to stare at the sudden guest in confusion.

"Taeil" Taeyong pulls off a tight smile. "Who do we owe for this pleasure?"

"No one. I invited myself after I saw Lucas rushing in the direction of your room" The red haired male shrugs simply.

Lucas mouths a 'sorry' as he briefly makes eye contact with Taeyong who is doing his best to keep his calm.

"We were just about to head out to breakfast" Jaehyun decides to speak up. The silver haired male shoots him a sharp glance as he says this.

Taeil just continues to grin as he approaches the newest member to the cooperative.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, especially for you Jae." He remarks. "You need to eat up nicely before going on your first mission tonight."

The brown haired male can't hide the look of worry in his face as he hears this.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh you know exactly what I'm referring to, don't even try to play dumb my dear" Taeil chuckles. "Tonight at 6 o'clock you will be joing me along with Johnny and Taeyong on a mission. We have two twin sisters to collect."

All the colour drains from his face as he hears this. He can't possibly assist to do something so sinister. He still hasn't recovered from seeing his own parents being shot, he won't be able to bare watching someone else's family die.

"Understood" Taeyong mutters in a tone filled with aggression.

"I'm glad" The red haired male walks over to Jaehyun and pats him on the back as though they were friends.

"I'm excited to have you on our team" He smiles happily before leaving the room.

Jaehyun suddenly feels like his legs are too weak to hold his body. He sways a few times but never gets the chance to fall as Taeyong instantly moves towards him, grabbing his shoulders in an attempt to keep him steady.

"Do you think he knows about our plan?" Lucas asks softly. "Why else would he choose today as Jaehyun's first mission and at 6 out of all times."

The silver haired male takes a long and deep breath before raising his gaze to stare at the blank space on the wall in front of him.

"We will still go with the plan. Instead of having 30 minutes to get out we will have 15. Jaehyun and I won't show up for the mission, they'll give us 15 minutes and if we still haven't arrived they'll check our room before ordering shut down."

"We will do it, we can do it" Yuta mutters, trying to somewhat lift the mood on the room which has suddenly become very low.

Taeyong lets go of Jaehyun, taking a step backwards as he scratches the back of his neck.   
"Tonight we leave this place. Tonight we escape."

— — — —

Whistling softly, the light blonde haired male seems to be fixated on the pen which he continues to spin with his fingers on his right hand. He doesn't move his gaze as someone enters the room, taking a seat on the other side of his desk.

"What are you doing?" The new guest questions as they straighten their tie.

"Fiddling" Kun responds. "You've got some news. I cant tell whether it's good or bad so go on. Spill the tea. That's what all the newest recruits say these days isn't it?"

Doyoung chuckles softly as he hears this. He adjusts the sleeves on his black jacket to make sure they have been extended as far as they go.

"Taeil overheard Lucas and Taeyong mentioning something about a plan for tonight" The raven haired male speaks firmly. "Just to be on the safe side, tonight we are sending Jaehyun and Taeyong on a mission."

"Great" The blond haired drops the pen as he clasps his hands together. "You're telling me because?"

The raven haired male reaches and picks up the pen, gazing at it before beginning to spin it himself.

"You know Sicheng right? He's your favourite recruit, I want you to meet with him. Seduce him, scare him, do with him what you will. Whatever you do, make him afraid to leave this place."

Kun hesitates before responding to this.   
"Do you really think they'll try to run away? It would be an extremely hard task to accomplish."

"They won't" Doyoung sounds as though he were trying to keep himself assured of this. "They need to be of the strongest mental capacity as a team which is what we will be ruining."

"Who's dealing with the others?" Kun queries, becoming interested in this idea.

"My love has taken care of Taeyong and Jaehyun. You'll take care of Sicheng. I'm going to deal with Lucas, he is risking a lot to be working with them. I'm going to remind him of that" The raven haired male sounds proud as he says this.

The blond haired male leans forwards to take his pen back as he places the end of it in his mouth, smirking at Doyoung.

"I'm liking this plan."

— — — —

Lucas was trying to get himself as prepared for tonight as possible. His way of doing so was by eating as much food as possible before leaving as it isn't secured that they'll have a lot to eat once they leave.

He is a tall man who must be fed and be fed well. Whilst doing so he runs over the plan in his mind. Their time to do it all successfully has been halved which makes it even more important they get it right straight away.

He is interrupted from his thoughts, and his meal consisting of a bag of chips as there is a sharp knock on the door. Moving the bag from his lap, the younger makes his way to open the door.

"Doyoung....Hi" Lucas greets the older with an awkward stance and tone to match it. He takes a step to the side to allow the raven haired male to enter the room.

He holds a smile on his face as he keeps his back to the younger. "Take a seat my dear child."

Lucas isn't stupid, he obliges to the other's words as he rushes to take a seat on his bed. Keeping quiet he just looks up at the older, waiting for him to speak.

"You've been training as one of the capturers for nearly four years, correct?" Doyoung asks, the younger nodding in response.

"You were there during my speech of what happens to those who betray us and try to escape?"

The colour instantly drains from Lucas' face, his expression fading as he tries to think of how he is going to get himself out of this situation alive.

"Those captured leaving the institute without granted permission will either live the rest of their days in the dungeon or they will be killed. The way in which they will die is left up to my fiancé, Taeil."

The younger remains speechless as he listens to this. Surely Doyoung couldn't know about their plan. If he does, they're done for.

The raven haired male grabs the chair from the desk and takes a seat in it, still smiling as he holds eye contact with the other.

"As you are a faithful and loyal dog, I'd never suspect you'd even consider doing anything similar to this."

"Of course I wouldn't. There's nothing to gain from leaving this place" Lucas manages to keep his voice stable as he does his best to come up with lies on the spot.

"Don't lie to me Lucas" Doyoung frowns suddenly, causing the younger to feel a strong sense of fear towards him. "Freedom is what could be achieved by leaving this place."

Lucas opens his mouth but decides it would be better to keep quiet, closing it once more as he allows for the older to continue.

"I know you've seen traitors being punished in the past. It isn't pleasant, not at all. More then anything, I know that is the last way you to want to die."

"I don't want to die" The younger interrupts, cashing the raven haired male to send him a look of the slightest pity. He then smiles once more as he stands from his seat.

"I'll be seeing you around, Lucas" Doyoung states. He sheds one last glance at the other before leaving the room.

The dark haired younger remains seated for awhile as he tries to process what just happened to him. He needs to get to Taeyong and alert him of this encounter.

There is no doubt that the head of this place knows of their plan to escape. He has no other reason to come in and say what he just did if he didn't know.

— — — —

Kun keeps his head held high as he makes his way down the many corridors before coming to a halt outside of Sicheng's shared room with Yuta.

He knocks twice, slightly surprised as the door opens straight away. Yet instead of the Chinese male, Yuta stands before him, looking confused.

"Kun, what do you need?" The other light haired male speaks with a tone that is edged with annoyance. Being Mr Nakamoto's son, he knows that no harm can be done to him. If it were anyone else who used that tone, Kun would've ripped out their tongue.

"I'm here to speak with Sicheng" The instructor states firmly.

The Japanese male doesn't look too impressed yet he still turns and calls out to his boyfriend. He steps to the side, grabbing the younger's hand as Sicheng walks up to his side.

"In private" Kun speaks through gritted teeth.

Yuta doesn't trust him at all. Knowing he would be able to get his father to kill this bastard if he needed and that he would be escaping later today, he presses a kiss to Sicheng's head before allowing the younger to stand in the hall alone with the instructor. Yuta closes the door but doesn't move away from it.

"Do you need me?" Sicheng queries in a soft tone. He knows his boyfriend is listening in, so he does his best to keep his voice just loud enough for the older to be able to hear him.

"Yuta will be coronated soon" The older also knows Yuta is listening. He smirks at the thought. This will make his job so much easier. "That means you two will have to break up."

Sicheng is visibly wounded by these words as he doesn't respond. He just swallows nervously, lowering his gaze to the floor.

"There is a way for you to stay with him, even if it isn't as his boyfriend" The instructor begins to state what he came for.

"You needn't continue" The younger speaks up, causing the older to pause in his speech. "I already know I will have to sacrifice our relationship so Yuta can reign. Which is why I'd like to be spending as much time with my boyfriend before that happens."

"I—" Kun tried to continue but he's shrugged off by Sicheng who has already opened the door to his room again. "If you'd excuse me, it was good to see you."

The younger enters his room, closing the door in the older's face. The instructor can't help but stay where he is in complete shock as he tries to think over what Sicheng just told him.

"Bastard" Is all he mutters before swiftly making his way to Doyoung's office.

— — — five minutes until the start of the plan — — —

Jaehyun was seated on his bed, leaning against the wall as he had his eyes closed. The plan would be starting soon and he was starting to grow nervous.

Lucas had visited earlier, alerting Taeyong that Doyoung had come to his room and brought up what happens to those who try to escape.

Hearing that only made Jaehyun even more doubtful about what they are going to do. He doesn't want his sister to die like that. Taeil doesn't deserve to get the satisfaction of figuring out how she dies.

No one does.

The door to the room swings open and closes loudly as Taeyong enters the room again. The younger slowly opens his eyes and watches on as the silver haired male stalks over to the bedside table. He opens the drawer, pulling out two daggers which he is quick to shove into the weapons belt which is beneath his shirt.

"We have less then four minutes before we begin, you may want to get your shoes on" the older exclaims as he continues to stock up his weapons belt.

Sighing, Jaehyun moves from the bed and grabs his boots. It doesn't take long for him to slip into them. As he stands up straight from completing his task, Taeyong shoves a weapons belt into his grip.

The younger just looks down at it in confusion. There was no talk of him having one for this plan. He was going to ask to have a gun at least but he didn't realise he'd get the belt.

Taeyong looks at him in slight annoyance as he snatches the belt back. Before the brown haired male has a chance to question him, the silver haired male pushes up his shirt as he wraps the belt around the younger's waist.

Jaehyun's eyes widen in shock as he feels the older's fingers brushing against his bare skin. He holds his breath as the the others hands seem to linger on his waist. As though he had just realised what he was doing, the older suddenly steps backward, pulling his hands away.

"You get a gun and and two daggers, that should be enough for now" Taeyong explains as he hands the names weapons to the younger who does his best to keep calm as he places them into their assigned pockets on the belt.

There is a moment of silence as the pair hold each other's gaze. Taeyong's eyes are filled with hope and the slightest bit of fear whilst Jaehyun's are just filled with fear.

"We'll be okay" The silver haired male picks up on the younger's worry as he steps forwards, closing the distance between them once more.

The brown haired remains silent as the older wraps his arms around him, he instantly hugs him back and proceeds to hold onto Taeyong tightly.

After a few moments, they pull apart, the younger brushes his lips against the older's cheek as he steps backward which causes his ears to redden.

"It's go time" The silver haired mutters as he moves to open the door. Cracking his knuckles, Jaehyun walks out the door.

Taeyong takes the lead once he closes the door to their room. No words are shared as the pair swiftly make their way through the corridors, on their way to the west wing.

There aren't too many people in the halls which makes it easier to get through. Anyone who sees them would instantly think something is up. No one ever travels through the institute this fast except for Taeil or Doyoung and they are both insane.

Checking his watch, the silver haired male curses as he notices it's taken them five minutes to get to the girls dorm. He gestured for Jaehyun to remain silent as he opens the door.

They run inside to where the next corridor begins. Hye's room is the fifth one down, Taeyong scores this information from Hyuna when he briefly met with her during lunch.

He also discovered that at this time all of the girls would be shut away in their rooms as it was resting time before dinner would begin at 7. This made the task for Jaehyun and Taeyong so much simpler.

Neither of them knock before opening the door. Jaehyun's little sister is seated on the floor, reading a book. She looks up in shock but her expression fades to one filled with joy when she sees her brother standing in the doorway.

"Jaehyun!" She calls out, dropping her book she stands and runs over to hug him. He holds her close for only a second before pulling away so he can talk to her.

"I need you to be super quiet okay?" He whispers. "Taeyong, myself and some others are playing a game of hide and seek. I thought you'd like to join."

"But it's getting dark" Hye speaks too loud. "Mother would never approve."

"Mother is dead Hye" Jaehyun snaps a little too harshly. The reaction is evident in his younger sister as she frowns, tears welling up in her eyes.

The brown haired male bites his tongue as he realises the severity of what he just said. His head is going at 100 miles per hour right now. He doesn't have time for Hye to be getting upset or disagreeing with him.

"We have to go" Is all he says before picking her up. Taeyong looks at the younger in slight bewilderment as he sees this. They never mentioned carrying Hye when they were discussing this earlier.

Needless to say, the pair make their way to the exit in the south wing. They move faster this time, now that they have Hye, all they have to worry about is getting to the door before the security system is initiated.

They are nearing the location where the security door they have to worry about is located. The silver haired male nearly lets out a sigh of relief as they are going to make it through before it's turned on.

But he is terribly wrong.

Hye starts to hit her brother, yelling out for him to put her down. Panicking due to her possibly giving them away, Jaehyun stops moving and gently placed her into the ground, shushing her as he asks what's wrong.

"Where are we going? I don't want to play anymore. This isn't fun" She starts to sob. "I want to go home." Jaehyun crouches, gripping her hands firmly as he looks up to make eye contact with her.

"I want to go home too, Hye. Believe me when I say more then anything I wish we could go back to mother and father. Yet in reality that isn't going to happen and we have to grow up and accept it."

He realises that she is 12 years old and doesn't fully understand the concept of death but this is what she needs to hear. This is the only way she will keep moving.

"This place is far from being even close to what home was like. They will only use us if we stay, so we have to go. Don't ask where and just trust me. Do you trust me?"

"Y-Yes" She stutters as she sniffs.

Jaehyun smiles softly as he stands up once more, gently kissing the top of her head. "Let's go."

They both pause as the sound of sirens starts to echo throughout the corridors. The colour has drained from Taeyong's face as he looks down their exit route.

The security wall has started to come down.

"We have to go and fast!" He screams before taking off towards it. Jaehyun takes his sister's hand and sprints. She struggles to keep up and stumbles a few times as her brother basically drags her across the floor.

The wall is already halfway down by the time Taeyong gets to it. He drops to the floor just before it, rolling beneath it, standing once he is on the other side.

Jaehyun gets to it just after and he goes to roll but he can't due to his grip on his sister. Instead he places his stomach on the ground and strongly uses his feet to push him beneath the door which he swears he felt brush his back.

Once he's through he roughly pulls on Hye's arm, to get her under as well. Yet she only moves a few centimetres before coming to a sudden halt. A sickening crunch can be heard along with a sharp scream of pain before the wall meets the floor.

The brown haired male slowly looks up to meet Taeyong's gaze. The silver haired male looks past him before quickly turning to look away.

Jaehyun trembles as he still holds onto Hye's hand tightly. He slowly turns around and lets out a scream of horror as he sees the sight before him.

His sister lays there, motionless, her head rests on the ground as her loose hair has moved to cover most of her face excluding her eyes which are wide open with fear.

Her body below her waist can't be seen. Blood pools around the wall which has recently been lowered from the ceiling. She's been crushed.

Jaehyun's eyes well up as he lets out a small yelp of horror. Refusing to let go of her hand, he trembles more severely as he reaches to close her eyes.

"Hye, I'm so sorry" He cries out as his hand lingers on his forehead. The warmth is already leaving her body.

"We have to go" Taeyong's voice is filled with guilt and sympathy as he gently placed a hand on the younger's shoulder.

The brown haired male choked back on a sob as he moves to stand on his feet, with assistance from the older. They turn away from the body of his sister and begin to move towards the door which leads to where Lucas and the others should already be waiting.

Taeyong wants to stay by the younger's side and keep his arm around his waist to support him but that would slow them down too much.

They've already lost too much time.

He can't even begin to imagine what level of pain is going through Jaehyun's head as they make their way to the door. He just watched his sister being crushed by a security wall.

He can only hope the younger will manage to hold on long enough for them to get out of the institute before releasing all of his emotions on the topic.

They get to the door, Taeyong grabs the door handle and pulls it open as fast as he possibly can. Straight ahead he can see Lucas, Yuta and Sicheng waiting in the trucks just as they had planned.

Never has he been so happy to see the three of them.

They all look at the silver haired male along with Jaehyun in great confusion as they notice Hye is not with them.

Taeyong grabs the younger's hand and goes to run to their truck but they are suddenly stopped as the someone steps before them, aiming two hand guns, one at Jaehyun and the other at Taeyong.

"Johnny" The silver haired male exclaims as he meets the older's gaze. The dark haired male smiles tightly at him before turning his neck to look at the others who are waiting in the trucks.

Lucas fumbles on his belt and managed to pull out his own gun as he aims it to Johnny's head. The taller lets out a sigh as he lowers the aim of his guns.

"Relax, I'm not going to stop you" He explains. "I'll wound myself and tell the boss that you shot me and got away."

"Johnny, no" Taeyong immediately speaks up. "You can't hurt yourself like that for us. Come with us, we have room." The older regrets stating this. He can't really specify how the room was made due to the very recent passing of Hye.

The dark haired male shakes his head solemnly. "I cant leave. I'm not as brave as you guys. I'd prefer to stay here rather then face what's outside of this place."

"Hey!" Another guard calls out from an exit which is several metres away.

"We have to go" Jaehyun sounds so lifeless as he says this softly. Taeyong nods quickly before looking at Johnny just in time to see the older aiming his gun at his lower stomach. Before he has a chance to yell out, the dark haired male pulls the trigger.

He grunts in pain as he falls to his knees. "Go!" He yells, brushing off Taeyongs concern as he clutched his fresh wound.

The silver haired male takes off at full speed, still holding onto Jaehyun. He opens the passenger door and leaves Jaehyun to make his way into the car before sliding across the bonnet to get into the drivers seat.

"Drive!" Taeyong yells out to the others. All engines are turned on just as the other guards approach them. Each driver floors it, speeding the trucks through the wire fences.

They are out of the institute.

"AFTER THEM NOW! EVERYONE GETS INTO A TRUCK AND VAN. GO!" Taeil can be heard yelling on the top of his lungs.

Taeyong doesn't look back as he just continues to drive forward. Just as they had planned, each vehicle turns to head in a different direction.

The front seven vehicles go in the same direction as Yuta and Sicheng. The next three follow in pursuit of Taeyong and Jaehyun whilst only two follow Lucas. There are still more vehicles to leave the institute.

The silver haired male recognised his surroundings as he takes a path which he used to commonly take when he was sent on missions. Who would've thought Taeil had assisted in their escape.

The closest city isn't far at all. They should reach the tall buildings within five minutes, that's if Taeyong can continue to drive faster then their pursuers.

One of the trucks come up on their left and they steer their vehicle into the silver haired's truck, causing the whole thing to shake and move further right.

Taeyong curses as he presses down on the accelerator even more. It feels as though they are no longer picking up speed. The older looks at their speed and realises they are already at the maximum speed which the vehicle will travel at.

The truck on their left steers into them again. This time they manage to push the truck far enough that it turns to be driving towards a rock which it runs over easily, but it pops the tire.

"SHIT" Taeyong yells out as the steering of the truck immediately becomes one of the most difficult tasks. The speed of the vehicle begins to drop as the the tire no longer holds them up as much as it used to.

The silver haired male clamps his teeth together as he just does his best to control the vehicle which will fall apart soon. He can see the city's entrance a mere kilometres away from them.

Just as they are approaching the welcome sign, the truck on their left manages to over take them, coming to a halt right in front of them.

Taeyong goes to slam on the brakes but there is no need as suddenly another truck crashes into the one in front, pushing it out of the way.

The silver haired recognises the victory cry from Lucas as he continues the drive into the city. Once they pass the sign, Taeyong lets out a sigh of relief before taking his foot off the accelerator, allowing the truck to roll itself to a slow stop.

Lucas pulls up beside them. Jaehyun just looks out the dashboard, all the life has disappeared from his eyes as he just stares.

Those who were following them have stopped and are making efforts to turn around and head back to the institute, not being allowed to enter the city on this beautiful night.

Yuta and Sicheng's truck soon speed through the entrance and they have to slam on the brakes to come to a halt right behind Lucas and Taeyong's vehicles.

The silver haired male doesn't say anything as he gently extends his hand to tap the younger on the shoulder.

"We're out Jae, we're alive and we're free" He speaks quietly. "We did it. We succeeded."

"But at what cost?" Jaehyun responds, his voice wavers slightly. "Hye's life and Johnny's health. Was it worth it?" The younger tilts his head to make eye contact with the silver haired male.

"Was the death of my sister, worth it?!" He exclaims as the tears begin to fall down his face once more. He begins to cry uncontrollably as Taeyong leans over the console.

The silver haired male wraps his arms around the younger, pulling him into his side as he just holds the sobbing male.


	10. Chapter 10

Doyoung was seated on the end of the chair, his hands were over his mouth as he rested his elbows on his knees. His fiance was out, chasing after the handful of recruits who had managed to escape, this left him alone, waiting for his safe return.

The security alarms were silenced a few minutes ago. With the problem out of the building, there was no reason to allow for the annoying loud sirens to keep going off.

As soon as he heard the security walls raising, he knew his red haired lover had returned. Immediately standing, he rushes to the entrance where the guards should be re-grouping with the captured escapees.

Pushing past the others, he runs in the direction of the red haired male whom he can spot exiting one of the vehicles. Taeil barely has a chance to register who it is as the taller wraps his arms around him.

"Are you injured?" The raven haired male asks, pulling away to examine the older for any obvious wounds.

"Not at all, my love." Taeil shakes his head slowly, caressing the younger's cheek with his hand. "But they got away, we didn't capture them."

Hearing this, Doyoung feels a mixture of relief and worry. Surely Mr Nakamoto won't be too happy to hear that five of their recruits had managed to escape, including his son.

"Don't worry too much about it. We will figure it out, together. Just like we always have" Doyoung assures him, pecking his lips. "These roses need to be painted, we just have to find them first."

Taeil grins his typical expression as he hears this idea, with a chuckle he adds, "No rose will be left unpainted."

The pair are interrupted as a sudden scream echoes from inside the institute. They part from each other as they move to investigate the sudden sound of terror.

Entering the facility, Hyuna can be spotted immediately crouched on the floor, cupping her mouth with her hands as she sobs loudly.

Doyoung goes to her side and gently places a hand on her back.

"What happened?"

"D-Doyoung" Taeil stutters as he catches sight of what the woman on the floor must've seen. The raven haired male slowly looks ahead and fills his stomach beginning to churn.

He stands once more and takes a step closer to his fiance, grabbing onto his hand for reassurance.

Hye is on the ground, blood surrounds the area where her waist has been seperated from her torso. Her arm is outstretched while her eyes remain closed. Most of her insides have fallen onto the floor before her corpse.

"I was coming to retieve H-Hye, it was said she ran away with the others. I came to this exit and f-found her like this" Hyuna explains, her voice frail.

Doyoung finds himself beginning to tremble ever so slightly. He has seen many horrific deaths in his time yet he has never witnessed something this horrendous.

Whilst he is struggling to comprehend this, Taeil seems to be fine. He is stable as usual, a look of curiosity across his features.

He can't help but wonder how Jaehyun allowed for his little sister to be crushed like this.

"We should inform Mr Nakamoto of the night's events," The red haired male mutters, squeezing Doyoung's hand reassuringly. "Hyuna you should go to the therapist's quarters."

The woman just nods before pulling herself back onto her feet. She immediately turns away, rushing out of the area.

"You're so calm" Doyoung speaks his thoughts out loud.

"One of us needs to remain stable if there's any hope for the other" Taeil brushes off the younger's concerns. "Lets go talk to boss."

— — — —

Mr Nakamoto was waiting outside his office upon the arrival of Taeil and Doyoung. He was looking far from impressed as they approached him. Without saying a word, he gestures for them both to enter his office.

They move to take their positions in the two seats on the closest side of the desk. However Mr Nakamoto doesn't take a seat as he walks over to the window, placing his hands in the pockets of his pants.

"Who escaped?" His voice is quiet as though the rage within him was building up.

Taeil goes to speak up but Doyoung interrupts him as he doesn't want his fiance to take the entire blame for what has happened.

"Jung Jaehyun, Lee Taeyong, Wong Yukhei, Dong Sicheng and Nakamoto Yuta" The raven haired male speaks, managing to keep his voice stable.

The older turns his focus from the window as he pulls a dagger from his waistband, stabbing it into the wood which is right in front of Doyoung.

"You let my son escape?!" He yells at them both.

"We followed them and we nearly captured them, yet we were stopped as they managed to enter the city grounds. Doyoung hasn't announced our arrival so we can't go further." Taeil mentions.

Mr Nakamoto doesn't seem to be pleased with this response at all as he picks his blade from the wood, moving it into his gaze as he examines the blade.

"Any casualties?" He questions.

"Jung Hye, Jaehyun's 12 year old sister seems to have been crushed beneath the security wall near the south exit." Doyoung's voice wavers slightly as the image of the girl appears in his head once more.

Taeil notices as he reaches out to touch his fiance's hand, yet he is stopped as Mr Nakamoto throws the dagger at him. The blade pierces through the back of his hand, skewering his hand on the blade.

He lets out yell in pain whilst Doyoung immediately stands from his seat shooting a deadly gaze towards their boss.

"What have you done?!" He yells, bitterly.

The red haired male lets out another grunt of pain as he pulls the dagger out of his hand, using his good hand he aims it for Mr Nakamoto's head yet the older dodges the blade, it still grazes the top of his ear causing it to bleed slightly.

"This is just a warning" Mr Nakamoto snarls at them. "Next time I will remove his hand entirely."

Taeil clutches to his hand as he tries to cover the wound with his hand. Doyoung notices a scarf which belongs to their boss, located on the desk. He grabs it without hesitation and assists Taeil in wrapping it firmly around his hand.

"I'll give you 10 days to retrieve them all. If you must, then bring back their bodies. But my son is to return alive and mostly unharmed." Mr Nakamoto orders.

"If you fail to succeed then I shall execute Taeil before your dear fiance and Doyoung I will charge you with treason. You will be banished from these walls and be forced to survive on the streets with the monsters."

"I won't let you come near him" Doyoung does his best to sound threatening yet before the older, he just sounds like a nuisance.

"Look at the hole in your fiance's hand then look me in the eye and say that again."

The raven haired male moves over to Taeil's side, helping him to stand from his seat. Mr Nakamoto doesn't say anything as he just watches the pair walk out of his office.

— — — —

The colour slowly drains from the red haired's face as the pair make their way to the hospital ward. Doyoung can't help but begin to feel anxious as they approach the doors to where Hendery should be.

The older is bleeding a lot and is losing blood quickly.

The dark haired male looks up just as they push open the door. He instantly drops his pen as he moves to be standing.

"What happened?" He questions them both as he moves to lead them to an empty room with the correct medical equipment.

"Mr Nakamoto stabbed his hand cause we didn't do our job" Doyoung explains as he helps the older into a seated position on the side of the bed.

Hendery is quick to put on skin tight, gloves before rushing to the red haired male's side. Unwrapping the scarf, he briefly examines the hole in the the patient's hand before wrapping it once.

"He needs surgery" The doctor remarks as he assists Taeil to be lying on the bed, ready for transport.

Doyoung holds his other hand as Hendery pushes the bed from the room and rushes down the halls to get to the operating room.

"It's just a scratch" Taeil exclaims calmly as he softly kisses his fiances hand. "Don't stress your pretty head too much."

The raven haired smiles sadly, "I'll be right here on the outside. Waiting for you on the other side."

He pauses in his steps as Hendery enters the door before the operating room. As much as he would love to follow, Doyoung knows he must remain on the outside.

He hardly gets a moment to take a seat before noticing a familiar face out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, the dark haired male is surprised to see Johnny being wheeled in on a stretcher.

Raising his hand, the nurse stops pushing the stretcher as she waits for further instruction. Doyoung stands at the side of the wounded male, looking down at him as he tries to figure out what has happened to him.

"Doyoung" The wounded weakly states his name.

"What happened?" Is all the raven haired male says in response.

Johnny manages to lift his head as he gazes towards where his shirt has been ripped open, revealing the white bandage which is quickly turning red, that has been wrapped around his stomach.

"Taeyong shot me as he left" He begins his lie. "I was trying to stop him, we wrestled and he shot me."

Doyoung scoffs lowly at this. It's clear to the wounded male that the instructor isn't falling for his poorly conjured lies.

Confirming this, the raven haired male gently places his hand on the place of the wound. Taking a shallow breath, he looks up to make eye contact with the nurse.

As he removes his hand, the nurse follows her order and begins to cut open the bandage.

Johnny can't help but feel panicked as he sees this happening. Doyoung is known for having no mercy when it comes to dealing with those who have lied to him.

"I'll only ask once so I suggest you answer truthfully the first time" Doyoung explains as he rolls up the sleeve on his right arm.

Grabbing a glove from the extended hand of the nurse, he slips it onto his long and slender hand.

"Taeyong shot you?"

"Yes" Johnny answers firmly.

Nodding, the raven haired male places his hand on top of the open wound, causing the male beneath to wince in pain.

"That's the truth?"

Johnny nods a little too eagerly.

Doyoung nods slowly once more, this time he pushes two of his fingers into the wound, emitting a piercing scream of pain from the dark haired male.

"Mr Kim, you can't do this!" The nurse sounds mortified as she moves to pull the male away. Yet he shrugs her off instantly, causing her to realize that there is no way in hell she will be able to stop him.

"I never thought you'd betray us like this Youngho" Doyoung smiles sadly. "Before I kill you, you could at least tell me where they plan to go."

Johnny's eyes go wide as he hears this. Before I kill you. He can't die. He is scared of what is to come once you close your eyes for the final time.

Yes Doyoung is insane, but surely...

"I don't know where they plan to go. I shot myself to buy them time. They never filled me in on their plan, only offering for me to go with them as they were on their way out" He explains in a hurried tone.

The raven haired male believes this part of the other's rushed speech. Pushing his fingers in deeper, he chuckles lowly.

"You should've shot yourself in the leg" Is all he says before removing his hand once more.

Just as Johnny begins to calm down from the excruciating pain, his head suddenly snaps backward as his eyes expand. Opening his mouth, he begins to scream in silence.

Trails of blood begin to pour from his eyes and out of his nose as he obviously struggles on the bed. A few moments later he ceases movement.

He is dead.

The nurse looks terrified as she watches on.

Doyoung pulls off his glove and casually tosses it on top of the fresh corpse before him before smiling at the nurse.

She goes to turn and run but is stopped as the sound of a gun firing echoes through the empty emergency room foyer. She collapses to the ground and Doyoung lowers his gun, slipping it back into its hidden position beneath his jacket.

"Sorry dear" he mutters to himself. "But I couldn't risk you speaking up about this."

He finds himself startled as the door to the operating room swings open and Hendery storms outside. His confused expression quickly evolves into one of annoyance as he sees the bloody sight.

"You activated his chip and shot my nurse?" He sounds highly irritated as he roughly scratches the back of his head.

"Sorry about the mess" Doyoung grimaces.

"I just stitched up your fiance and this is how you're going to repay me?" The doctor isn't impressed at all. "You need to stop killing all my staff."

"Me? I wouldn't have to kill them if they weren't so impudent!" The raven haired male starts to sound offended as the doctor talks back to him.

"People aren't impudent simply because they won't keep your malicious behavior a secret from boss. If anything, they're normal. Maybe you should look into that and give it a go" Hendery pats his back twice before gazing back toward the operating room.

"Taeil is just waking from the anesthetic. once he is up, he may go and do whatever it is the two of you do nowadays. Preferably outside of the hospital. I have a mess to clean up."

Doyoung folds his arms over his chest, breathing a sigh of slight frustration as the doctor pushes past him to attend to the two corpses.


	11. Chapter 11

"We can't stay here" Lucas speaks firmly. "No doubt Doyoung is already on his way to the announce the arrival of his men into each and every single city."

Taeyong rocks back on forth on his feet as he bites his nails. Sicheng and Yuta are leaning against each other whilst Jaehyun is staring into the distance with no emotion to his gaze.

"The sage house is at least a days trip away and that's disregarding the monsters we'll encounter on the way and the troops who will be after us" Yuta adds to the problem at hand.

The silver haired male tries to come up with an idea but honestly he has nothing. He didn't expect them all to get this far. Especially after seeing what happened to Hye...

"Hotel" Jaehyun mutters causing all eyes to fall onto him. "Surely there's a hotel we could go to."

"Yes, that's a really good idea. My dad owned this one which isn't too far from here. I'm sure the man at the desk will recognise me and let us stay there." Sicheng mentioms.

Yuta looks at his boyfriend in slight shock but smiles softly, briefly placing his lips against the side of his head.

"We'll go there" Taeyong decides. "Get in the respected vehicles and no more time is to be wasted as we drive straight to this place."

Everyone nods before making a move.

Jaehyun is quick to take his seat in the passenger seat as Taeyong sits before the steering wheel. The older tilts his head to look at the younger for a moment before turning on the engine.

He goes to drive but then turns the engine off again, cursing beneath his breath. He'd completely forgotten about the flat tire.

Apparently the others had also forgotten as they were already out of sight.

Jaehyun seems to be confused but then a light goes off in his head as he steps out of the vehicle. He examines the tire which is broken.

The silver haired male gets out as well as he goes to see what the damage is.

"Do you reckon they kept the tools for changing a tire in the trunk?" The younger queries, his tone half sarcastic.

Taeyong just shrugs, leaving Jaehyun to walk around to the back of the truck. He opens the metal tray and smiles in relief as he spots a car-jack and a crowbar. Crouching, he finds a spare tire has been slipped beneath the ute.

"How quick can you change a tire?" The silver haired asks in a slightly hurried tone.

"10 minutes, maybe a little less" The younger admits, already rolling up his sleeves. "I haven't done so in a long time."

Taeyong walks over to the back and pulls out the jack as Jaehyun begins to work on pulling out the spare tire from where it is comfortably being held.

The older positions the jack where it needs to be and as soon as the younger has managed to pull out the tire, he begins to raise the car.

No words are shared as Jaehyun removes the flattened tire, allowing for it to roll away on the road before placing the new tire in its place.

Once it's all tightened up, he gives Taeyong the okay to lower the vehicle once more. Closing the trunk, the pair hurry to get back into the truck before successfully driving away this time.

The others had been waiting at the hotel for a while and were beginning to wonder if Taeyong and Jaehyun had gotten into some trouble.

Immediate relief washed over their faces as the missing pair's truck pulled up into the parking lot.

"What happened?" Yuta asks, his voice filled with concern.

"Our tire was still flat" Taeyong smiles tightly. "We had to change it before coming here. You guys seem to have forgotten."

Lucas instantly seems to remember how he saw their tire being popped as his eyes widen for a brief moment.

"Let's just get a room and worry about the whole tire thing later" Sicheng frowns. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't tired and all he wanted to do really was sleep.

Yuta wraps an arm around his shoulders and smiles happily.   
"Let's go."

The group make their way into the foyer to where a older man has taken his seat. He is half asleep but regains full consciousness as he sees these people.

"Sicheng?" He speaks the name with a frail voice.

The dark haired male nods with a sad smile as the man rushes around the desk to wrap his arms around him. The pair hold each other for a few moments before pulling apart.

"I haven't seen you since they took you away" The old man's voice now wavers as he has started to cry softly.

"It's been seven years" Sicheng says softly.

"What can I do for you and your friends?" The man asks as he moves to be behind the desk once more.

"To be honest" Sicheng hesitates before continuing. "We kind of...Escaped. We need somewhere to stay for a night."

The old man seems to be shocked as he hears this. It is now that he properly examines all of their faces, his gaze halting on Yuta.

"You're N-Nakamoto Yuta."

The light haired male nods firmly with a tight smile. He places his hands in his pockets and leans back onto the balls of his feet as he moves his gaze to the floor.

"You guys can take the penthouse. There's three double beds up there. I'm afraid it's all we have available that's big enough for you" The man hands a key over the counter.

Sicheng happily takes it and raises his gaze to meet with the others once more, "Thank you."

The dark haired male then makes his way over to the staircase where he leads the others up all the way to the fifth storey where the penthouse is located.

Placing the key in the door, he pushes it open and turns on the lights, allowing for everyone to go inside before closing the door once more.

It seems to be a nice open spaced area. The living room is right in front of the door with the small kitchen and dining table behind it. There is an open doorway which can be seen leading to the bed room where the beds will be located along with the big en-suite.

Lucas heads straight to the TV and switches it on to the news. They can't afford to turn this off as they must keep track of the institute's movements.

"Does anyone mind if I go straight to bed?" Sicheng suddenly voices. "I'm exhausted."

"Of course" Taeyong smiles gently. "We'll wake you at dawn, we can come up with the plan ourselves and Yuta can fill you in tomorrow."

The younger nods a few times before making his way into the bedroom. Yuta folds his arms across his chest before making his way to take a seat on the couch.

Jaehyun sits beside the Japanese male as the silver haired sits on the other side of Lucas.

There is a few minutes of silence as they watch the news, waiting for Doyoung to appear. Yet never does.

"What's taking him so long?" Lucas queries.

"Something may have happened after we left" Yuta mutters. "And it also takes a tad longer to organise going on the news."

"But it's Doyoung" Taeyong pipes up. "He gets what he wants and when he wants no matter the time limitations."

"Well hopefully it'll take him a bit longer. We need all the extra time we can get" Lucas frowns.

Jaehyun sighs as he closes his eyes for a brief moment. This causes for the silver haired male to look at him with slight concern. He must also be exhausted.

"You can go rest if you want" He suggests to him.

Opening one eye to gaze at him, the younger just shrugs before closing it once more. "I want to hear the plan for the morning first. Then I'll sleep."

"Where are we going to head next?" Lucas sounds worried. "Within a few hours not even the cities will be safe for us anymore."

"There's that abandoned city which comes with apartment buildings, a hospital and all that nearby" Yuta informs them all.

"I like the sound of that except if it's abandoned does that mean it's haunted?" Lucas shivers at the thought.

"Ghosts or no ghosts" Taeyong shakes his head slowly. "We don't have any choice. Unless you're going to suggest somewhere yourself."

The taller pauses for a moment as though he were going into deep thought before shaking his head himself.

"At dawn we get into those trucks and we drive straight to this place. No hesitating and if Sicheng wants to say goodbye to the reception guy then he'll need to get up long before okay?" Taeyong directs the last part to Yuta who just nods.

"I'll stay here and keep watch of the news. I'll wake you if Doyoung appears" Lucas remarks firmly.

Taeyong goes to object but honestly he couldn't keep his eyes open for much longer.

"Wake me up at 2am and we'll switch. You need to sleep too" He offers instead. The taller nods in agreement before shooing them away.

The other three make their way into the bedroom where Sicheng is already sound asleep, leaving Lucas out with the television.

Yuta doesn't say anything as he kicks off his shoes and gets into the bed beside his boyfriend. Silently he snakes his arms around the younger's waist before closing his eyes.

Jaehyun removes his shoes and pulls down the blankets before getting into the bed beside him. The silver haired does the same but pauses before getting into the bed which sits in the middle of the room.

"What's wrong?" The younger calls out softly.

"This is Lucas' bed" Taeyong responds. "He doesn't like having his bed pre-warmed. He says it gives him the shivers."

"If you want to sleep with me you just have to ask" Jaehyun's ears immediately go red as he says this. "You don't need to come up with some kind of lame excuse."

"I-" Taeyong tried to think of a response to this but he can't. The younger looked straight through him.

Without wasting another minute, he pulls down the blankets and slowly takes his place in the bed beside the younger.

The brown haired holds his gaze for a few moments as there is just a dead silence within the room. The only sound to be heard is the faint sound being emitted from the television in the other room.

"It isn't your fault" The younger whispers. "What happened to Hye. You planned the escape well. Please don't think I blame you for it."

"I know" The older instantly retorts causing Jaehyun's eyes to slightly widen as he tries to comprehend what was meant by this sudden acknowledgement.

"I mean...I've been trying to think of how I could tell you that it wasn't your fault either. It was a terrible misfortune which none of us could've stopped."

Jaehyun smiles softly as he reaches across to gently caress the older's cheek. The older is shocked to silence but he doesn't move away from the other's touch.

"If we die" The brown haired begins. "I want you to know that I may be slightly attracted to you. They say that people are mean to those they like."

"We aren't going to die, Jae" Taeyong grabs the younger's hand and moves it to his lips where he kisses the back of it without really thinking it through.

"I promise."

"That's what they always say in the movies and it always turns out that the characters are foreshadowing their own deaths" The younger scoffs.

"Well this isn't a movie. It's real life Jae, and I always keep my word" The older does his best to sound assuring.

"Just like how you kept your word with Jisung?" Jaehyun queries.

Taeyong's gaze instantly fills with hurt as he lets go of the younger's hand. He rolls over in the bed so now his back is facing the other.

"Goodnight Jae."

The brown haired male feels instant regret for letting that slip. His last intention was to hurt the older. He takes a deep breath before rolling over himself.

"Goodnight Taeyong."

— — — —

Screams pierce the silence, jolting Jaehyun into a wake state.

He moves to be in a seated position, eyes wide as he examines the room which is starting to grow lighter due to the sun which has started to rise.

Yuta and Sicheng are in the process of getting out of their own bed whilst Lucas is still yet to open his eyes.

"Everyone up! We need to leave and leave NOW!" Taeyong screams as he rushes into the room. He is wide awake with his shoes on and that's when Jaehyun remembers the older had to switch night watch with Lucas.

The brown haired male kicks off the blankets and hurried to put his shoes on again. By this stage Lucas has arisen and is putting his shoes on once more as well.

"What the hell is going on?" Yuta asks as he walks out into the living room. He gazes out the window before returning to the bedroom, all colour drained from his face.

"Monsters" Taeyong speaks for him. "They've infiltrated the building. We need to get out and quickly."

Jaehyun's heart begins to quicken as he hears this. He hasn't come face to face with a monster at all in his 19 years of life. He's only ever seen them on the TV.

His gaze meets with the silver haired's who shows slight hurt from the remark he made before they went to sleep last night.

"Guns don't work on these...Things" Lucas interrupts the brown haired's thoughts. "Only knives. So keep your daggers on hand as we head to the trucks."

"As soon as I open that door, you are all to run down the stairwell and head straight to the parking lot. Do your best to avoid these monsters and I'm sorry but I don't have a better plan." Taeyong explains in a hurried tone.

Everyone just nods as they all move to the front door. The doorway isn't clear as monster stands before them.

Jaehyun is confused as he sees this. The supposed thing looks like an ordinary human excluding the fact that his mouth has split into four flower-esque mandibles with razor sharp endings to each one of them. Along with this his hands have long and sharp, almost blade like, points protruding from his knuckles. At a close distance it's also visible how his skin is tinted a pale-greenish colour.

The creature growls at them just as Taeyong slams the door shut, locking it.

"New plan" He exclaims, back presses against the door.

"We can't jump out the window, it's too high and there's nothing we could use to climb down" Lucas sounds slightly panicked.

"Jaehyun, you're going to take my place here and open the door for me to then push the monster out of our way. Then we continue with the first plan." The silver haired male doesn't give anyone a chance to object as grabs the younger's sleeve, slamming him into position before moving away from the door.

He shakes his hands before pulling both of his daggers from his belt, getting ready to use them. Nodding toward the brown haired male, the door is pulled open revealing the monster is still there.

Before it has a chance to advance forward, the older rushes at it, stabbing it with both daggers before raising his right foot to kick its stomach. Pushing it backwards and pulling the blades out in the process.

The monster growls in retaliation as it moves towards Taeyong once more, trying to slash away at him with its blades.

"GO!" Taeyong screams at the others as he manages to slice the monsters neck. As it falls to the ground, one of the blades protruding from its knuckles slices his shoulder.

He yells out in pain dropping one of his daggers as he moves to clutch his newest wound. Yuta and Sicheng have made it down the stairs whilst Lucas is still struggling to get down.

Jaehyun rushes to the older's side, panicking as he sees how deep the wound is. The monster isn't dead though, it lets out a snarl as it starts to thrash on the ground.

"Cut it's head off" Taeyong grunts in pain.

Jaehyun, pushing back his fear, uses his own dagger to apply another swift cut to the monsters throat. He applies enough strength for its head be halfway detached.

He hesitates and notices the skin is trying to heal itself. Slicing again, this time he manages to disconnect the head, killing the creature.

A growl from another monster can be heard from the staircase. Jaehyun curses under his breath as he grabs Taeyong's arm and helps him onto his feet.

"We need to get to the truck. I can treat your wound once we're on safe ground" he exclaims in a hushed tone.

The older just nods as he moves to check the stairwell which is surprisingly clear. The monsters seem to all be making their way into rooms.

Deciding it's clear, Taeyong initiates the escape route as he begins to run down the stairs, Jaehyun at his side the entire time.

They get to the foyer and both frown slightly as they see the old man who was so found of Sicheng, dead on the floor. His chest has been ripped open and the fear still remains evident on his face.

"Come on" Jaehyun nudges Taeyong.

Running once more, they get to the parking lot and arrive at the trucks. None of the others have left yet as they were waiting to make sure the other two were going to get out safely.

Having no idea how to drive the vehicle, Jaehyun shoves the older into the passenger seat as he himself gets behind the wheel.

Turning the key in the engine, he has to pause for a moment, studying all the levers at his feet and by his hand.

The entire vehicle suddenly shakes as a monster places its long blades on the bonnet, slowing dragging them down, severely damaging the surface.

"The pedal on your right is the accelerator" Taeyong's breathing is hitched as he explains. "You've played racing games right?"

"I've played Mario Kart" Jaehyun mutters.

"Close enough, drive like you would in Mario Kart. Think of this as a big race but preferably don't crash and just get us out of here" The older remarks.

Swallowing his nerves away, the younger floors it. The vehicle runs straight over the monster causing the first part of the ride to be quite bumpy.

The others took of a few moments earlier but Jaehyun can see where they are. He follows the path of them as he hopes they know where they're going as he has no clue where this abandoned city is.

Taeyong breathes heavily as he still clutches onto his gaping wound. Blood has stained his fingers whilst it drips down his arm.

His wound needs to be tended to soon or there's a possibility he'll bleed out.

The ten minutes it takes to drive to the next city feels like ten years to Jaehyun who can't help but be concerned about the older for the entire trip.

Yuta, Sicheng and Lucas all come to a stop outside of a long street which is filled with old and rusted buildings. All falling to pieces as they haven't been tended too for years.

Jaehyun presses the left the pedal and the car slams to a stop. The pair of them jolt forward causing Taeyong to wince in pain.

"Remind me to teach you how to drive" The older remarks.

The younger can't help but let out a small chuckle as he gets out the truck, rushing around to help the silver haired male out of the vehicle.

"What happened?" Sicheng asks as the others approach them.

"That monster managed to get him" Jaehyun frowns as he tries to examine the wound in the light which is much better due to the sun having fully rises to its position.

"I need to treat him and I need to do it quickly" Jaehyun informs the others.

"You're a brain doctor, not an arm doctor" Taeyong states sourly to the younger.

"Technically I'm no doctor and just a medical student but either way I think you'd like to know that we still get taught about the rest of the body. We just specialise in one area and my area is the brain" Jaehyun explains quickly.

"Can we talk about this later and just worry about getting Taeyong fixed?" Lucas exclaims, sounding annoyed. "The hospital is straight ahead, we can go in there with our supplies."

Yuta grabs the bag from the truck before they all begin to make their way to the largest of all the abandoned buildings. Just as they go to enter it, they are stopped due to someone stepping before them.

Raising his gaze, Jaehyun looks at the blue haired stranger with a brow raised. He doesn't recognise the person who looks at them all with a cold stare.

"What the hell are you all doing here? You escaped the the institute" The stranger remarks bitterly.

Taeyong looks shocked as he turns to face Yuta. How does this person know who they are? Doyoung must've made t to the news and Lucas forgot to tell them. As though he were reading the older's thoughts, the taller mutters a curse at the realisation.

"This place is meant to be abandoned" Jaehyun speaks up as everyone else seems to be too busy in their thoughts.

The blue haired male meets his gaze and just holds it in silence for several excruciating moments. "You're Jaehyun." He states.

The brown haired male nods as he gestured to the others. "So you must know that this is Taeyong, Yuta, Sicheng and Lucas."

"Of course I do. I know everything about all of you. They ran a 30 minute program on you guys last night on the news" The stranger retaliates.

Taeyong looks at Lucas as he silently asks why they hadn't been notified of this. The taller just mutters an apology.

"Do we get to know your name of are you going to kill us before we have the chance?" Jaehyun tried to press for further information.

The blue haired male moves his gaze as he examines each one of them from head to toe.

"I'm Jungwoo."


	12. Chapter 12

"I'm Jungwoo."

Jaehyun smiles softly at the stranger, that's when he notices the silver haired male at his side groaning in pain. His expression fades to one of concern once more.

"Can you please let us use the hospital. Taeyong really needs to be treated" The brown haired male pleads quietly.

Jungwoo doesn't trust these strangers. Yet he can see the look of desperation in each of their gazes. It makes him wonder if they'd be able to help him out if he helped them.

Yet his father wouldn't be too happy if he let them inside without consulting him beforehand.

As slyly as possible, he nudges the knife in his belt with the palm of his hand before stepping aside, allowing for the group of strangers to rush into the hospital.

Jaehyun rushes down the halls until he arrives at what would've been a room for doctors to check over patients. He is kind of surprised at how the state of this room hasn't deteriorated too much. Yet he doesn't have time to acknowledge that right now.

The older sits on the bed while Yuta hands over the medical supplies. The brown haired male hurries to pull out the disinfectant and white pads before getting his needle and thread ready as well.

The silver haired male cringes at the needle. Seeing this, Jaehyun grabs his chin with his hand and gently tilts his head upward so the older is now looking him in the eye.

"Just focus on me okay?" The younger tried to sound reassuring. "I'm going to help you."

Taeyong finds himself at a loss for words so he just simply nods and allows for the medical student to continue.

The younger is quick to wash out the wound, doing his best to remove any possibilities of infection. Probably the only positive to these monsters that their blades aren't dripping with poison. That stuff is just in the movies.

The older hisses and has to look away as his arm is treated due to the sting of the medical liquid. Jaehyun does his best to work quickly as he doesn't want to be hurting the silver haired male.

Threading the needle, he goes to begin stitching him up but pauses as he gazes toward the blue haired male who is watching from the doorway.

"You guys don't have anaesthetic or anything like that do you?" He sounds half hopeful as he asks this. It would kill him if he had to do this next part of the procedure to Taeyong while he was still awake.

"I'm afraid we don't" Jungwoo answers firmly.

"It's okay, just go for it Jae" Taeyong takes a deep breath as he gently grabs the younger's arm, squeezing it reassuringly. "I trust you."

Swallowing the worst of his nerves away, the younger inserts the needle. The silver haired male opens his mouth as he lets out a silent scream.

Noticing how it's concerning the medical student, he bites his tongue, doing his best to keep his mouth clamped shut.

Jaehyun mutters apologies over and over as he does his best to finish the task quickly and accurately. After what feels like at least an hour, the wound is all stitched up and Jaehyun is finished.

Taeyong examines the younger's handiwork and finds himself smiling softly as he turns to make eye contact with the brown haired male.

"Thank—" He gets interrupted as the sound of hurried footsteps coming towards the room can be heard.

Panicked gazes are shared throughout the room except for Jungwoo who stares at the floor, stepping aside from the doorway.

Men who are dressed in dark grey clothing rush into the room. Two use the handles of their guns to render Yuta and Sicheng into unconscious heaps on the floor.

Lucas goes to draw his own weapon but is stopped as his temple is brutally hit with a baseball bat. Taeyong barely has time to step in front of the younger as a bigger male covers his head with a black bag, doing the same to Jaehyun.

They both try to fight back but it's no use as they are also impacted against their heads, causing them to slip out of consciousness.

— — — —

"Lee Taeyong is the one who we need to be the most wary of" A foreign voice explains lowly. "He is the better trained out of them all and on top of that he is clever."

"What are we going to do with them?" Jungwoo queries.

Jaehyun's head instantly throbs as he starts to regain consciousness. He doesn't open his eyes as he attempts to eavesdrop on the conversation happening before him.

"I'm not sure yet. We will have to wait until they wake up so we can have a little chat" The first voice remarks.

That's when Jaehyun hears Taeyong coughing. His eyes instantly snap open and he cringes as they adjust to the sunlight. He has been restrained to a chair with Taeyong on his right, the others in a line beside Taeyong.

Jungwoo gazes at them, the smallest look of pity in his gaze.

A taller man stands by his side, wearing dark pants with a dark shirt and a knee length, grey coat to keep him warm. He has a bandanna which is tied around his neck. Dark roots stain his dyed blonde hair as he stares down at the intruders.

"They're waking up" He clasps his hands together as he approaches Taeyong, crouching before him. "You're the only one I care for."

As Jaehyun goes to say something, he finds himself taken aback as no sound comes out. He tries again to speak but not even a whisper emits from his mouth.

"Don't worry" Jungwoo flickers his gaze up to meet with the brown haired male's. "It'll wear off soon."

What will wear off?

The brown haired male can't help but wonder. Did they drug them all after they were knocked out? Even if they did, the medical student can't think of any kind of drug which would have that effect.

"What do you want?" Taeyong speaks, his voice hoarse.

Jaehyun turns to look at him in shock as he hears the older speaking freely. How is it he can speak?

"I think a better question is what do you want?" The blond male questions darkly.

Taeyong meets Jaehyun's gaze for a moment before turning back to the man before him.

"We seek refuge for a few nights" He sounds calm, even though the man in front of him is way too close, having placed a hand on his knee.

It makes Jaehyun feel sick to the stomach as he notices the way which this older male is looking at the silver haired male.

"You have the worlds most feared and best soldiers coming after you all. Why would we let you stay here? Especially considering you brought the Prince along with you" He gestures towards Yuta who is still unconscious in his seat.

The brown haired male looks to Jungwoo with a pleading gaze. The blue haired male could easily knock out this man and help them out.

Jaehyun noticed the conflict within his eyes when they first confronted him. Something here isn't right and he is guessing it has something to do with the man who is currently touching Taeyong's knee.

The blue haired male simply moves his gaze away, pretending as though he hadn't seen the other.

"Based on the people you used on us" Taeyong still manages to keep his cool. "You have an impressive army yourself. If Taeil arrives and can't see us, he won't be allowed to search through this city without having Doyoung here to supervise. Especially if you refuse to let him in. And I can promise you that Doyoung never ventures out on these errands."

The blond haired male pulls himself onto his feet as he seems to be taking what has been said into consideration.

He walks over to Jungwoo who avoids the older's gaze at all costs. His stance grows awkward as his upper arms are grabbed by the other.

Speaking lowly, the blond haired male's words can't be heard as he talks to the blue haired male.

After a few moments, he lets go and looks to the intruders again. Jungwoo's hands gently caress the areas where he was just touched, almost as though he was trying to get rid of the older's touch.

"You can stay for a few nights" The blond haired male remarks. "You may refer to me as Sangpil. I'm the leader here. Jungwoo will show you to your rooms and I hope you'll enjoy your stay but please keep in mind that when Taeil arrives, that gives you 24 hours to leave us. It doesn't take that long to go and get that lover boy of his."

"Agreed. We thank you for your generosity" Taeyong swallows as his gazes flickers down to look at his feet.

"Un-tie them" Sangpil orders before walking out of the room and out of sight.

Jungwoo pulls the knife from his belt and walks over to Taeyong first. After freeing his hands and feet, the blue haired moves to Yuta who has started to stir.

Taeyong rushes to Jaehyun, a look of worry on his features as he works to cut through the rope with the daggers which were left on his body.

"Are you okay?" The silver haired male questions.

"I'm fine" Jaehyun can't help but feel relieved as he hears his own voice again. "I'm just glad that creep stopped touching you."

The older tilts his head slighting, pausing in his task of cutting the rope at the brown haired's ankles as he hears the tone from his voice.

"Are you getting jealous of an old man?"

Jaehyun scoffs at him. "He isn't that old and no I'm not jealous. The look in his eyes wasn't right. Did you see the way Jungwoo was when they were interacting? Something isn't right."

Hearing this, Taeyong finishes cutting the final bit of rope before grabbing the younger's knee with his hand, meeting his gaze.

"You're right. I can sense something is off also, which means we need to stick together and not allow for any of us to be left alone while we stay here. We can't do too much as Sangpil is providing us with shelter for a few nights. So just bear with it for a while and as soon as possible we will leave."

The brown haired male doesn't like the idea of staying here at all. Then again, he knows that Taeyong is a great fighter. He can feel safe when he is with the older.

Before there is a chance for anything else to be said, the others rush over to the pair, all dazed and confused as to what has happened.

Taeyong stands once more as he turns his attention to them all. Jaehyun takes a deep breath before standing himself, moving to be at the older's side.

"What's going on?" Yuta asks.

"We are staying here for a few nights. I managed to bargain with the leader here" Taeyong explains to him.

"They tied us up yet they'll let us stay? I don't trust them already" Sicheng states bitterly. "Who's to say they won't attack us while we sleep?"

The silver haired male folds his arms across his chest as he tries to come up with the best possible a of dealing with the situation at hand.

"Let's just say they made a mistake" Is the best he can come up with on the spot.

"You need not to worry about Sangpil" Jungwoo suddenly speaks up as he walks over to the group. Lucas steps aside as he allows for the blue haired male to come to a halt beside him.

"And why is that?" Yuta speaks before Taeyong has the chance.

"Because he already has his own plaything. He has never been the type to have more than one toy at once" Jungwoo informs them all.

"What do you mean by that?" Jaehyun asks in a hesitant tone. He has a sick feeling in his stomach that he already knows what the answer will be.

A silence briefly passes before the blue haired male manages to pull together a response. He wraps his arms around his chest as he makes eye contact with the brown haired male.

"I'm his toy. He does with me what he pleases."

The emotion of shock and the feeling of nausea is felt in everyone who listens to the male speaking. It is Taeyong who asks the next question.

"How old is he? How old are...You?"

Jungwoo lowers his gaze once more. "Sangpil is 47, however, I'm just 19 years old."

The blue haired male certainly seems to have the maturity of someone who is much older. Jaehyun has thought that's he'd at least be in his early twenties.

No one has a chance to say anything else as the blue haired male gestures to the open door to the room.

"I'll take you to your rooms. The sun will be setting soon" He walks away, causing for the others to just quietly follow after him.

— — — —

Jaehyun was given a room with Taeyong.

The group was placed in the old hotel which is surprisingly well maintained. Then again the city isn't as abandoned as it would appear.

Yuta and Sicheng were given the room beside them whilst Lucas was on the other side.

The brown haired male is seated on the edge of the king sized bed as the older paces before him. He is biting his nails as he seems to be trying to come up with a plan for what their next move will be.

"Sit down Taeyong" The younger tells him firmly. "You'll be able to think better if you're relaxed."

"How the hell am I meant to relax?" The silver haired male exclaims. "We have hardly any time to figure out where to move to from here."

"It's okay, maybe if you talked to us then we could help" Jaehyun tries to sound reassuring. "We could go get the others and have a meeting about it."

"No" Taeyong disagrees instantly. He continues to pace, starting to quicken the rate at which he does this.

The younger sighs before pushing himself off the bed and onto his feet. He takes the few steps it takes to close the distance between the two as he firmly grabs the older's upper arms, forcing him to come to a stop.

Taeyong winces slightly as Jaehyun grasps the wound on his arm. Noticing, the younger moves his grip to be just below the wound.

"Stop worrying so much. It isn't healthy and it isn't helping anyone. I can understand why you're like this but maybe if you just tried to be calm for a few seconds even then you may just come up with some answers."

Taeyong shakes his head slowly. "There's no time, Jae. I either come up with a plan now or we may as well just hand ourselves straight back to the institute."

"Listen to me Taeyong" Jaehyun shakes him once, quite roughly. "If this plan is rushed then we might as well hand ourselves in."

"I-I lost Jisung. I can't lose any of you guys as well. I-I can't" The older stutters slightly.

Jaehyun finds his gaze landing on the silver haired's lips which are quivering slightly. Not being able to hold himself back, he presses his lips against the older's.

Taeyong's eyes widen when the sensation of the younger male's lips start to overtake his senses. It feels as if everything was shutting down inside his mind. Every thought just drifts into the oblivion to give enough attention to the touch receptors on silver haired's lips. The electric esthesis is like a gentle breeze wrapping around one's body during a sunny day - soothing and calming yet inflaming other senses.

Jaehyun breaks the kiss as his hands travel up to cup older male's prominent chin. His brown orbs lock with Taeyong's surprised ones.

"Stop talking" Jaehyun says and leans in once again to taste Taeyong lips with his tongue. "Stop thinking" younger male adds and connects their lips together once again. At the moment Taeyong is just stunned. He doesn't know how to response or how to react.

His mind is totally blank. It's like a white canvas that is ready to be colored. So he just lets the other male take a lead. He allows being painted with Jaehyun's colors.

The colors, he lost them a long time ago.

He opens his mouth allowing Jaehyun's tongue to sink in further into his insides making his worn out body even weaker. With every stroke of younger's tongue, Taeyong feels warmth palette of colors spreading around his moist cavern.

Taeyong feels as Jaehyun presses his body on his. His legs are getting weak under a pressure of the kiss so he's unconsciously backing himself to the bed. Suddenly the back of his knees hit the hem of the furniture.

He's being gently pushed by Jaehyun and his body falls on the mattress. His eyes open to see how Jaehyun takes off his shirt and unwraps the belt that holds the weapons. His lean body flexes in the dimmed light of the room. The warm rays outlining younger's features, glittering his milk-white skin.

Taeyong only licks his lips when Jaehyun climbs up on the bed. They are both keeping their eyes locked. Taeyong's body shivers seeing how Jaehyun's hungry eyes literally devour his whole figure. The younger male sits on older's hips, allowing his upper body to lean in. He steals a kiss, helping himself by holding silver haired male's chin in his hand when the other one's supporting his figure on the bed's mattress. Taeyong moans in the kiss feeling how Jaehyun's bottom rubs against his slowly hardening member.

"J-Jae" Taeyong mutters shutting his eyes when Jaehyun's fingers linger down his torso. "Do you really want-" he's stopped by brown haired male's finger on his lip. "Shhh" Jaehyun assures him. The former medical student wraps his hands on the hem of Jaehyun's shirt and lifts it up, his eyes fall on Taeyong's well-defined stomach.

"Just focus on me" Jaehyun lifts the shirt up when his head leans in, tracing the muscles with the wet kisses. Taeyong's hands wrap around the beddings when his mind goes wild with the sensation that is overcoming him.

The way younger's warm lips meet with his cold skin sending the impulses of pleasure around his body. Jaehyun is quick to stop moving Taeyong's top up when he notices the fresh dressing of the wound. He gives a small kiss on the bottom of the patch and hears a small whine from the other male. Jaehyun can feel Taeyong trying to lift his upper body up on his own but the older male fails due to the severe pain in his shoulder.

The brown-haired male is fast to react catching Taeyong's pain, that is trying to escape his mouth, in a longing kiss. The latter melts into it and slowly lies himself down with the help of the younger male. While they are still sharing a sloppy kiss Jaehyun's hands are working on Taeyong's belt and the waistband of his trousers. Jaehyun smiles in the kiss feeling Taeyong's hand on his body. The older male has started to help with Jaehyun's trousers that are yet to be removed.

Brown haired male lifts his body on his knees helping Taeyong to wiggle out of his pants. Latter's eyes lock on Jaehyun's hands that slowly but surely push his own black trousers down the thighs, revealing his pulsating bulge. Taeyong opens his mouth to say something but is quick to let out the strangled moan when Jaehyun's fingers dip down the waistbands of his underwear wrapping around his length. The younger male leans into Taeyong's neck. He gnaws and kisses the sensible skin going down when his hand is slowly working on Taeyong's member.

The latter feels the heat spreading inside his body. Every touch, every kiss, every bite is like a sting of pleasure. Taeyong can feel his body reacting to every tease the younger male is treating him with. It's like a gentle brushstroke on the canvas of his pale body. Every move is revealing more color.

Quicker, please.

More color. Taeyong is hungry for more.

Jaehyun lifts himself up feeling Taeyong's hand inside his underwear. The other male is fighting with the fabric as his moves are limited by the shoulder injury. The younger gets the point and helps Taeyong to get rid of them. He sits back down on Taeyong's thighs looking at the older male.

Taeyong's eyes are half-lidded and glazing with the erotic aura. Jaehyun reads the urge and is quick to move closer. Taeyong rolls his hips up desperate for more intimate contact. Jaehyun smiles and wraps his hand around Taeyong and his dick.

They both moan when Jaehyun starts to move his skilled hand up and down, stroking both of their members at the same time.

Taeyong is lost. He's lost in the world of pleasure. He can't believe how gentle yet firm Jaehyun is with him. How everything the younger does with his body has a meaning.

Just like a painter with a brush, Jaehyun is decorating Taeyong's body with strokes of pleasure.

The brown haired male can feel Taeyong is close to the release as his body starts to tense and his breath gets uneven. He fastens the pace and looks at how Taeyong's expression changes.

Soon he hears Taeyong moan when the latter releases his seed on his stomach and Jaehyun's hand. 

Jaehyun, however, is nowhere to stop. His hand is still around their linked members, chasing Taeyong's climax. 

He curiously observes as silver haired male's eyes open after the severe wave of pleasure crushed on his body. Taeyong breaths heavily and his good hand catches Jaehyun's arm. He tries to beg Jaehyun to slow down, however, nothing but the lustful moan escapes his mouth. 

Jaehyun looks down seeing how the older male whimpers and breaks under his pressure. He knows he's now just testing the Taeyong's limits.

He soon tilts his head up and comes heavily, giving their linked members a few more strokes to work all the secretion off.

With a heavy breath, Jaehyun looks down at the older male. Taeyong's hand is covering his inflamed face. Older's torso is covered with their mixed seed and sweat. Jaehyun slowly leans in, his hand smearing the topping of Taeyong's stomach like the painter spreading the paint on the naked canvas.

He catches Taeyong's lips and gives him a quick but deep kiss. He breaks from it and looks at Taeyong to move the hand from the latter's eyes. He notices the tears staining silver haired male's face. 

Jaehyun's eyes widen but he quickly breaks his alarmed expression to a smile seeing how Taeyong giggles softly.

Supporting his figure on the bed, the younger male rests his forehead on Taeyong's and lets the small laugh escape his mouth too. 

— — — —

Taeil smirks to himself as his vehicle pulls up beside the three trucks which the escapees have taken with them. They are way too predictable, appearing at the abandoned city.

The red haired male stops the truck, gesturing for the trucks and vans following to also come to a halt.

He happily gets out of the vehicle, whistling a joyful jingle to himself as he walks down the long and seemingly abandoned main road of the town.

It doesn't take long for a familiar face to walk out onto the road to approach the intruder.

"Bong Sangpil" Taeil calls his name out.

"I'm afraid what you're looking for isn't here" The older states as he comes to a stop, a few feet away from the red haired male.

"Don't lie to me, you know nothing good ever comes from lying to someone as insane as myself" The red haired male chuckles lowly.

Sangpil pushes his coat to the side as he reveals a gun which has been slipped into his belt. "Unless your dear old fiancé is with you, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Taeil is slightly taken aback as he hears his old friend saying this. The pair used to work together when it came to going after those who were to be captured, that was until it was time for Sangpil's son to be collected. Then he took off with a bunch of his people, including his son and took over this run down city.

As much as he wants to, Taeil holds back and doesn't invade his lifestyle to take his kid. Besides, the kid is 19 now. There's hardly a point.

"Don't be this way Sangpil. I let you keep your boy, the least you could do is give my things back."

Sangpil just sighs as he shakes his head. It's clear he won't be giving in to the man's words.

Frowning, Taeil points his finger straight at the older. "I'm going to get Doyoung and I'll be right back to invade this city of yours. That boy, Jungwoo, will be coming with us. Consider that your payment for me not killing you right now."

No other words are shared as Taeil turns on his heel, walking straight back to his truck.

— — — —

Waking up in someone's warm embrace was nice for a change. Taeyong instantly felt safe for the first time in years as he slowly opened his eyes.

As he stirs awake, he feels the grip around his waist only tightening as the younger seems to also be waking up.

"Morning" Jaehyun mutters.

"Good morning" Taeyong turns in his arms to face the younger as he pecks his lips. They are just too irresistible. He completely forgets about all his worries as he just gazes at his still half asleep lover for these precious moments.

Yet they all come barging back to the front of his mind as there is a sudden banging on the door to their room. Jaehyun instantly wakes up fully as he lets go of Taeyong, kicking off the blankets.

The older rushes out of bed and slips into his clothes as quickly as possible before making sure Jaehyun is also covered. He runs to the door and pulls it open, revealing Yuta, hair a mess as though he had just woken up himself.

"Taeil just left to get Doyoung. We have to leave" He exclaims, tone filled with panic.

Taeyong can't help but curse beneath his breath as he yells at Jaehyun to gather their things. "Yuta go get the others together."

The blond haired male nods before running back to his own room.

Taeyong hurries to help Jaehyun in gathering their weapons and dressing properly. Once they have managed to fit everything on themselves again, the make their way into the corridor where the others are.

"Get to the trucks and just start driving East. Don't stop until we reach the woods. There's a cabin in there we can use" The silver haired male explains to them all.

Nodding they make their way outside the hotel as fast as they can. Lucas comes to a crashing halt as he reaches the outside. Jungwoo stands opposite the hotel, arms weakly hugging himself as his cheek seems to be bruised.

"Taeyong" Lucas calls the leaders name.

Taeyong can immediately sense what the taller wants to ask as he notices the way he stares at the blue haired male.

"We have room, place him in your truck" The older gives him permission.

Lucas nods firmly before running over to the other. Jungwoo looks up in confusion which slowly fades to a small look of hope as he nods in agreement to the younger's words.

Lucas takes his hand to help him run faster as the pair rush over to the trucks.

"You can't take him with you" Sangpil's voice is loud and clear as he aims his gun at Lucas. Yet he doesn't get the chance to pull the trigger as Yuta places a kick to his side, causing him to drop his weapon.

"Go" He calls out to Taeyong and Jaehyun. The pair don't hesitate in rushing to the vehicles. Sicheng is waiting in his truck for his lover to return to him. He frantically chews his bottom lip as he watches his boyfriend fighting with the other man.

Jaehyun comes up with an idea as he pulls a gun from his belt before aiming it towards Sangpil. Pulling the trigger, it grazes his shoulder but it's enough to give Yuta a chance to turn and run towards them.

He only gets a few paces away from the trucks before he is struck on his back with a bat. Sangpil's men have come out onto the streets. Blood spatters out of the blond haired's mouth as he collided with the dirt.

He rolls over as he jumps back onto his feet, attempting to throw a punch at one of the three men who have him surrounded.

Through this, Taeyong spots Sangpil who is aiming his gun for their tires. "DRIVE" Taeyong screams out.

Lucas instantly takes off. Sicheng however, stays where he is. He won't leave without Yuta. He isn't leaving his boyfriend behind.

The blond haired male turns to look at his boyfriend, a look of pain on his features as he continues to be beaten up pretty bad.

"We should help him!" Jaehyun yells as he goes to run in the older's direction, yet he is stopped as Taeyong grabs onto his arm.

"Get in the car" He orders.

Jaehyun looks at the silver haired male in disappointment as he moves to take a seat in the passenger's seat. Taeyong swallows tightly as he gets into the driver's seat.

He meets Sicheng's gaze, nodding once. This seems to be enough to convince the younger to turn on his engine, beginning the drive away.

Jaehyun can't help but feel confused as to why he would leave so simply. Considering he was just refusing to go.

Yuta smiles sadly as he watches his boyfriend drive away. It's the last thing he sees before he loses consciousness and falls limp on the ground.

"We need to go" Taeyong's voice cracks as he says this. Jaehyun asks no questions as the older just turns his truck out of the city and drives away.

Sangpil lowers his gun as he watches the escapees drive away. He didn't shoot them, it wasn't them he wanted to be honest. It was Yuta.

They just scored themselves the son of the most powerful man in this world. If they were to hand over this young boy to Taeil and Doyoung, they'd be able to use him to lure the others to return home.

As much as Sangpil would've liked to keep his beloved son with him, keeping the prince safe at the institute seems to be a bigger priority.

"Take him to the hotel and lock him in room 127. Be sure you tie him up so he can't go anywhere when he wakes up and remove all weapons from him. Now we just wait for the arrival of Taeil." Sangpil orders his men.


	13. Chapter 13

Yuta recognises the feeling of having his arms tied behind his back and ankles tied to the chair he sits on. The only difference this time he can feel the blood trickling down his face from his injuries.

His bruised bones are calling out in pain even as he just tries to take several deep breaths.

The pain in his body is nothing compared to the pain he feels in his heart. At the cost of his capture he was able to save the others, to save Sicheng.

He can only hope that they have managed to escape to somewhere that is as far away from here as possible. They can't go back to the institute.

They'd die.

"Our dear old Yuta has finally arisen has he?" Sangpil cracks his knuckles as he walks into the room. Yuta can't help but laugh bitterly as he slowly raises his gaze to meet the older's.

"They got away from you, and they took Jungwoo with them" He remarks harshly. His capturer frowns at the mentioning of this. He walks over to the tied intruder and plants a punch on his jaw.

"Shouldn't this be the part where you offer to pay me as much as I want? Anything to keep you alive?" Sangpil questions, shaking his hand.

Shaking his head, the smile doesn't fade from the younger's expression. "Kill me for all I care. Creeps like you don't deserve payments of any kind. I know what you did to Jungwoo and it makes me want to throw up."

"Of course your father told you" The older exclaims, his tone frustrated. "Mr Nakamoto was never good at keeping his mouth shut. Which is the main reason I stopped working for him."

Yuta doesn't respond to this. To be blunt, he doesn't care. If anything he just wishes this man would hurry up and kill him. His ears are on the verge of bleeding from hearing his hideous voice.

Sangpil pulls a long and sharp dagger from his belt and admired the tip as he slowly makes his way over to his victim. He gently drags it across the younger's cheek as he just smirks to himself.

"I'm going to play a bit before I kill you."

Yet he doesn't even get a chance to begin as the door to their room is kicked off its hinges. Doyoung looks highly irritated as he stands in the doorway.

His gaze falls upon the blade on the prince, causing his expression to fade to one which would threatening anyone who was on the receiving end of it.

"I think it would be best if you just dropped the dagger" He states darkly. Sangpil doesn't hesitate as he steps backwards, dropping his weapon.

Taeil enters behind his lover, a handful of armed men following behind them. The raven haired male stalks over to the blond haired male as examines his condition.

"You hurt him. Boss won't be pleased" He states as he grabs the prince's chin, moving his face around as he tries to examine each wound. "You hurt his son."

"His son left me with no choice" Sangpil instantly tries to defend himself. "He attacked me and my men!"

"Hush" Taeil speaks up as he walks up to the man before calling out to his fiancé. "Love?"

Doyoung lets go of Yuta's chin before turning to see what the older wants.

"Mind if I kill him?" The red haired male asks simply.

Doyoung simply shrugs his shoulders. "Gut him like a fish for all I care. Our orders were to bring Yuta home alive. Sangpil has injured him leaving us no choice."

Sangpil barely has an opportunity to scream as Taeil plants his knife in the side of his neck. Pulling it out, he allows for Sangpil's limp body to fall to the floor.

None of the men in the room seem to be phased by this, even Yuta seems to be reasonably calm.

Doyoung now diverts his attention to the man who is tied up as he crouched before him. "Where'd your friends go?" He asks him.

"To be honest I have no idea" Is all Yuta tells him. "They left without me, how am I supposed to even have the slimmest idea to where they might've fled to?"

It's obvious that the raven haired male doesn't believe a word he says. He stands once more as he leans down to whisper against the blond haired's ear.

"I only have to be within the same country to be able to activate your beloved boyfriend's chip. A simple click of my fingers and he'll be bleeding out."

"Maybe if you activated mine then you'd get some information" Yuta refuses to feel threatened by the figure before him.

"Boss said we can't kill any of them" Taeil reveals his fiancés lies, removing any depth their was to the younger's threat.

The raven haired male glares at his partner but he soon smiles as he knows that the other must have something in mind.

"I say we bring forth your coronation" The red haired male grins at the idea. "Yes it's early but no doubt your gang will decide to come and crash it. We will be ready for them and then we can capture them."

Yuta's heart sinks as he hears this. Taeyong and the others aren't stupid but he is almost certain they would try to rescue him at his coronation.

"I like that idea" Doyoung seems pleased as he walks over to the red haired male. The older grabs his tie and pulls the younger against him. Their faces collide as they initiate a passionate kiss before the other men along with Yuta.

"Everyone's watching. I kind of like that concept" Taeil remarks with a devilish smirk before pulling himself away.

"Let's take him back to the institute so we can get started on the next part of the plan" Doyoung straightens his tie as he says this.

Yuta doesn't have a chance to retaliate and Doyoung elbows his temple, rendering him unconscious once more.

— — — —

"What's so special about this cabin in the woods?" Jaehyun asks softly, an attempt to spark conversation as the older keeps driving seemingly as fast as he can.

A preferred question would be something to do with why Sicheng abandoned Yuta so easily after he seemed to be doing his best to wait for him. It all makes no sense to the newcomer.

"I know the family there" Is all Taeyong responds with. He seems to be on edge and slightly agitated. No doubt he is feeling guilt for having to leave his friend behind. No doubt all of them were.

Not knowing how to comfort the older, Jaehyun settles for just placing his hand on the other's thigh, willing it to be a gesture of assurance.

"Do you remember your training?" The silver haired male suddenly queries.

"I remember all that I was taught which wasn't much" Jaehyun answers.

"Good" The older mutters before commencing a U-turn in the truck. The younger removes his hand as he uses both to grip onto the dashboard, the car violently turning to face the other direction.

Taeyong begins to speed back in the direction of where they had just fled. "We're saving Yuta" Is all he says to explain the sudden change of direction.

Jaehyun has no words as they rapidly approach the abandoned city. The older pulls their vehicle to a halt when he is just on the outskirts.

The brown haired male goes to ask why but hushes himself as he looks out the windshield.

Taeil alongside Doyoung can clearly be seen hovering by the doorway to the hotel. The red haired male does a small hand gesture which sparks the commencement of two guards from the institute dragging Yuta's unconscious and bruised body from the hotel.

Taeyong clenches his jaw in anger as he watches them dragging his friend as though he were a bit of rubbish they'd found on the street. They put him in the rear of a black van which Taeil and Doyoung enter afterwards.

It isn't long before they drive away.

The younger doesn't know what to say, he doesn't even know if there is something which is appropriate to bring up in this situation.

He opts for silence as the silver haired male tightens his grip on the steering wheel, knuckles turning white.

Without saying anything, Taeyong suddenly turns off the engine and gets out of the vehicle. Jaehyun is quick to chase after him, stumbling over his own feet as he steps onto the ground.

"Taeyong what are you doing?!" The younger yells.

"I'm going to kill that bastard. That bastard who took Yuta" The older responds, voice wavering slightly as he shows no sign of slowing down.

Jaehyun manages to catch up, grabbing onto the older's arm, pulling him to a halt.

"Let go of me" Taeyong exclaims, attempting to pull himself out of the younger's grip, yet the brown haired male just holds on firmly, not even flinching.

"I have to kill him, he took Yuta away. He took my friend let me go!" The older continues to thrash against the younger's tight grip.

Jaehyun manages to pull the older against his chest, wrapping his arms around him as the silver haired male falls apart. The tears start to flow, unleashing the sobs which he has been holding onto for way too long.

Taeyong stops fighting back and just allows for the younger to hold him.

Ever since they left the institute, he has felt the pressure of trying to keep them all safe and protected. Yet he has already failed. It's been two days and he has lost Yuta.

The pair had always been close. From the moment Taeyong had been captured, Yuta was always there for him. The younger constantly sneaking into his room at night to bring stolen snacks. He was always making an effort to keep Taeyong calm and happy.

As much as he didn't want to, Jaehyun gently pulls away from the older, just enough so he can meet his gaze.

"Focus on me" He states calmly. "Just focus on me and breathe okay?"

The latter doesn't disagree as he meets his gaze. Taking a few deep and slow breaths, Taeyong finds the tears slowing down as the urge to cry begins to disappear.

"We really need to head to the cottage. The others are waiting" The silver haired male mutters, wiping his eyes with the palms of his hands.

Jaehyun raises his hands to take the older's in his own as he lowers their hands. He leans down and softly presses his lips to the older's. Taeyong smiles sheepishly into the kiss as he attempts to deepen it.

Yet he is rejected as the brown haired male pulls away.

"We should head go, the others are waiting" He mocks the older's previous words.

Taeyong pulls his hands out of the younger's grip, using them to hit the younger's chest before walking back to the truck, smirk evident on his features.

— — — —

Lucas was doing his best to comfort Sicheng by the time, Taeyong and Jaehyun arrived at the cottage. They were all parked a few metres away as Taeyong had planned to enter by himself at first.

The tall male had wrapped his around Sicheng who was trying to pull himself together once more whilst Jungwoo remained seated in the truck. He didn't seem like he was planning to get out anytime soon as he anxiously checked his surroundings.

"Where were you guys?" Lucas questions in a tone which is slightly annoyed.

"We went back to get Yuta" Taeyong knows he won't be able to hide the truth so what us the point of trying?

"Where is he?" Sicheng exclaims, wiping his eyes with the palms of his hands as he steps away from the younger who had been holding him a few moments prior.

The silver haired male manages to hold the other's burning gaze as he weakly speaks the next phrase.

"We arrived just in time to see Doyoung and Taeil taking him away. Sangpil must have sent for them, we were too late."

Just as Sicheng looks as though he is going to break out into sobs once more, he manages to regain control over his emotions, or at least burries them away as the tears slowly come to a halt.

Jaehyun gently brushes the silver haired male's hand with his own yet he doesn't grasp it. It is a mere gesture to remind the older he is there and that it isn't his fault.

"Lucas" Taeyong suddenly snaps the younger's name. "You're with me."

He draws a gun from his belt before tossing it at the confused, taller male. Catching it, Lucas reaches to his own weapons belt, pausing as he realises his gun is gone.

Jaehyun offers his own weapon to the silver haired male who accepts it with gratitude.

"I know the people who live here hence I will be the only one entering the property at first" Taeyong speaks with his authoritative tone once more. "Jaehyun and Sicheng, stay here and guard Jungwoo and don't go anywhere until I come back okay? Lucas you will go around the rear end of the property and won't enter unless you hear the front door opening followed by no voices."

"How will I be able to know if the front door has opened from the back of the house?" Lucas seems to be adamantly confused about this whole idea.

"Trust me, it is one of the creakiest doors I have ever heard" The silver haired male chuckles softly as he recalls this. "This has always been a destination for people who are escaping the co-operative. The sound from the front easily travels to the back so the residents will always be aware of who is in their surroundings."

"They haven't found this place yet have they?" Jaehyun brings up the question he knows everyone must be pondering.

If this was a common place for those kinds of people, they surely wouldn't be here if the co-operative knew of it as they would surely make their way over here as their next move.

Taeyong shakes his head firmly. "It has been kept secret ever since the world first turned...Sour."

"Which means the family in this house can probably hear everything we are saying" Lucas points out, lowering his tone to a whisper as though they were in some kind of spy movie.

Sighing, Taeyong just gestures in the direction of the backyard. Lucas gets the message, turning around and hurridly yet quietly makes his way to the assigned location. The silver haired male goes to walk off as well but is stopped at Jaehyun grabs his arm.

"Be careful" the younger frowns in concern as he says this.

"Of course." Is all Taeyong says in response as he makes his way to the front of the house.

The wooden steps leading up to the porch seem to have only grown weaker since the last time he came here. They creak and bend slightly as the silver haired male slowly places his feet on them, making his way up the three of these crumbling steps.

As he raised his hand to gently knock on the wooden surface of the door, the male was taken aback as he realised the door was slightly opened.

Pushing the door open, he doesn't flinch as he hears the screeching whine which emits from the hinges. Lucas waits to hear the voices talking yet he hears nothing, so he remains outside.

Taeyong keeps his gun aimed before him as he slowly makes his into the entrance of the house. He is careful to not make any sound other then the slight creaking of the floorboards beneath his feet as he moves through the house.

"Hello?!" He calls out.

Hearing this, Lucas decides it's a cue to enter the house himself. He is slightly surprised to find the back door isn't locked as he easily turns the handle.

The pair find themselves looking through the cottage to see if they can find anyone. Lucas doesn't seem to be too worried as he just thinks the family may have gone out.

It's as soon as he approaches the bedroom upstairs that the rotten stench begins to infiltrate his nose. He can't help but scrunch up his face in disgust as he walks into the room.

He doesn't have to move much further to see a woman on the floor, her head has been severed from her body. It seems as though she has been dead for a few days as the body has begun to decompose.

Lucas leaves the bedroom, covering his mouth and nose with the palm of his hand as he tries to rid himself of the stench.

Making his way down the corridor, he finds himself wanting to throw up. The familiar scent of death fills his nose as he walks into the bathroom.

Laying on the floor with their insides turned into outsides, is another woman who seems to be the same age as the one in the bathroom.

Lucas slams the bathroom door shut before rushing downstairs to find Taeyong. The silver haired male is still slowly examining each room and can't help but jump as the younger touches his shoulder.

"I think I found your supposed family" The taller frowns.

"They upstairs?" Taeyong doesn't catch onto the younger's tone.

"I think the monsters beat us." Lucas clarifies, instantly wiping the expression from the older's features. He doesn't tear up instead just gazing at the floor solemnly, lowering his weapon.

The pair are both interrupted as they hear gunshots from outside. Instantly, Taeyong's thoughts fly to Jaehyun who is out there with the other two.

Without hesitating, he runs out of the cottage.

— — — —

"Did he lose his voice on the trip or something?" Jaehyun asks Sicheng, referring to the blue haired male who still remains seated in the truck.

Sicheng shrugs as he briefly meets the brown haired male's gaze.

"I think he's scared" He states lowly. "I don't think he's ever left with people other then that bastard of a man who tied us up."

As if sensing that the pair are discussing him, Jungwoo steps out of the truck, walking up to where the other two lean against one of the other vehicles.

"I can hear you, you know" He snaps bitterly.

"Is that anyway to speak to the people who saved you?" Sicheng doesn't even try to fake a nice tone to the newcomer.

"If anyone rescued me, it was Lucas. It certainly wasn't you" The blue haired male remarks.

"Your people took Yuta away from me" Sicheng speaks in an intimidating tone and he closes the distance between him and the other. "You'll pay for that."

Jaehyun gently grabs Sicheng's sleeve, pulling him back a few steps once more. Now is no time for conflict such as this.

Just to confirm this fact, the sudden roar of many engines can be heard as at least five trucks and one van come to a screeching halt just behind where they are all standing.

Looking up in fear, Jaehyun can't help but feel his heart sink as he sees the dreaded red haired male stepping out from the van. Yet the familiar raven haired male doesn't follow him.

He must've stayed with Yuta at the institute.

Several armed people from the institute in similar clothes to Jaehyun and the others excluding Jungwoo hop out of the other vehicles.

"Long time no see" Taeil grins maliciously as he uses the point of his dagger to scratch the point of his chin, somehow he doesn't pierce the skin.

The brown haired male goes to draw his gun before pausing as he realises he gave it to Taeyong. Instead he reaches for a dagger of his own.

Yet as he grasps the handle, a gunshot goes off. He stops his actions as he looks ahead to see Taeil has shot a blank into the sky, the gun in his other hand.

"The next one will go through your precious hand if you're not careful my dear boy" He threatens.

It is then that Jaehyun notices one of his hands are injured. He can see a bandage wrapped firmly around the red haired male's hand which must be concealing some kind of wound.

"Don't call me dear boy" Jaehyun mutters harshly.

Sicheng goes to lunge for but the brown haired male manages to hold him back by merely grabbing the fabric of his sleeve.

"I'll call you whatever I'd like to dear boy" Taeil emphasises the pet name this time. "We could make this nice and easy and you could just surrender and get in the van."

"I don't think that will be happening" Sicheng scowls.

Chuckling softly, Taeil moves the aim of his gun to be at the head of the male who just spoke.

Before he has a chance to shoot, he is interrupted by the sound of growls and the crunching of leaves as something approaches from behind.

The red haired male closes his eyes, sighing in annoyance as he turns around and begins to shoot over and over at the monster which is quickly making its way over to the group of people.

The bullets pierce through its flesh yet it doesn't seem to affect it, merely making it walk slower. Taeil opens his eyes once more throwing his gun to the ground as he rushes over to the creature.

With a single swing of his sharpened dagger, he manages to successfully decapitate the monster. 

Taking the opportunity, Jaehyun draws his own blade and rushes over to the red haired male, Sicheng following his steps while Jungwoo moves to hide behind the truck.

The brown haired male slashed at the red haired male's back but completely missed as his opponent bends over, missing the blade completely.

Standing tall once more, Taeil spins on his heel, elbowing Jaehyun's jaw, causing for him to drop his blade. Sicheng moves in with his own yet he is stopped as Taeil slashes his hand with his dagger.

The male curses as he takes a step back.

Jaehyun is quick to regain his composure as he attempts to hit the older, but his inexperience throws him under the bus as Taeil easily catches his fist, spinning him around in his grip, placing his dagger against the younger's bare throat.

"You really aren't that good at fighting are you?" The red haired male chuckles to himself as he starts to press down the blade, piercing the skin as a thin trickle of red blood begins to form.

Sicheng goes to try and free the male but is stopped as Taeil 'tsk's at him. The red haired male will kill Jaehyun if he moves.

It is now that Jaehyun realises all the other men from the institute have been distracted fighting of monsters. A swarm have wondered over and they are effortlessly taking them down.

"They never said I couldn't harm you" Taeil grins at the idea.   
"I could activate your chip but that wouldn't be fun would it?"

Jaehyun is confused by this, he's never heard of this chip...

"Do it" The brown haired male says firmly.

His gaze flickers past Sicheng and he notices Taeyong crouched in the bushes near the entrance to the cottage, his gun aimed before him.

Closing his eyes, the brown haired male awaits for the blade to make its final slice.

Bang.

The grip on him instantly loosens and is followed by the sound of a body collapsing. Jaehyun opens his eyes once more, turning to see the damage which has been done.

Taeil lays on the floor, blood quickly coating the forest floor. A bullet hole is clearly visible right in between his eyes.

He's dead.


	14. Chapter 14

Doyoung silently taps his foot on the ground as he waits for his fiancé to get back from his mission. The pair had figured this cabin would be the next move for the escapees.

They had been notified of the death of the family who used to live there a few weeks ago, they just hadn't had the chance to go and investigate it yet. This left the cottage free for use.

Yuta is in the same room as the raven haired male. He is bound by a chain on his wrists and ankles, keeping him upright against the wall.

He refuses to look at the other as he just stares at the floor, eyelids heavy from the lack of rest. His body is slowly wearing down from the ill treatment which he has received for the past 12 hours.

Doyoung called Hendery in to make sure the blond haired male had no life threatening injuries before allowing for the doctor to leave once more.

Mr Nakamoto doesn't seem to know Yuta has returned. If he did, the prince certainly wouldn't be tied up like this anymore.

It had been over two hours since the red haired male had left with the collectors. Doyoung couldn't help but feel as though something had gone wrong.

Taeil never takes this long on such simple tasks.

Even Yuta feels as though something is slightly off. He's known Taeil every since the male started to work here and he has always been quick at his job.

No one was voicing any concerns as it was quite clear the raven haired male had no intentions of admitting something wasn't right.

Voicing it would confirm that there's something worry about. If he just keeps quiet, then there will be that chance that he is just overthinking it all.

It is only when the door to the room flies open, revealing two of the collectors standing in the archway, breathing heavily as though they ran to get here.

The other collectors aren't with these two.

Nor is Taeil.

"What happened?! Where is Taeil?!" Doyoung exclaims firmly as he rushes to stand before these men. They both avoid his gaze as their bodies tremble under his presence.

"I'm so sorry sir" The taller of the two begins. "T-Taeyong, h-he says that Yuta is theirs, they won't let him go. He—"

"Where is Taeil?" The raven haired male repeats his question.

"He's dead. Taeyong shot him after he tried to kill Jaehyun" The collector finishes explaining.

"Liar" Doyoung denies this immediately. He chuckles an over exaggerated laugh as he turns on his heel, pacing to the other side of the room. "You're lying to me."

The collectors say nothing as they just stand in the doorway, heads hung low in sorrow and sympathy for the raven haired male.

Yuta, as much as he pains to admit, finds himself surprised by this information. He finds himself pitying the raven haired male who continues to deny what he has been told.

Shaking his head over and over again, Doyoung turns to face the two collectors once more, years beginning to well up in his eyes as he starts to swallow the bitter pill.

"Did you bring back his body?" The raven haired male questions softly, his voice ever so quiet.

"No, we—" Yet the collector is interrupted by the sound of a gun going off, a bullet tears through the flesh on his chest, piercing the heart. His body collapses to the ground.

Doyoung is shocked to see Mr Nakamoto standing behind the dead collector, gun still raised. He doesn't hesitate in shooting the other one as well.

"They let Taeil die" Is all the older male says.

Now.

Now Doyoung swallows the pill.

Taeil is dead.

The love of his life will never walk through those doors again.

The sobs rise in his throat, he can no longer hold back as he falls to his knees. The pain slowly rises only to be unleashed all at once. The tears are overflowing as his sorrows are washed out onto the wooden floor beneath him.

He clutches onto his stomach as he cries harder. It feels as though he will break apart, as though his heart will shatter into millions of pieces.

He had always thought that pain like this was a myth. He had always believed that only the weak had felt this much sorrow at the loss of a loved one.

Never had he expected he would go through it.

Yuta can't imagine what the raven haired male must be experiencing right now. He can't even begin to consider what it would be like to lose Sicheng. The idea hurts too much.

"Get up Doyoung" Mr Nakamoto speaks harshly.

Yuta shoots his father a death glare which is deflected without even the smallest glance.

"No" Doyoung retaliates, speaking in a tone which frightens the blond haired male who remains bound to the wall.

"I'm sick of obeying everything you say. You're a psychopath. You don't even care about Taeil's death do you? You don't care for anyone, not even your son who you've allowed to be tied to this wall for hours on end. You knew what Taeil and I would do to him yet you just let us go. The only person you care about is yourself."

Mr Nakamoto scoffs as he listens on.

Doyoung manages to hold back on his cries, tears still silently flowing as he moves to be standing before the elder male.

"Were you ever a father to your son? Or was he always just a prop in your little experiment?"

Experiment...

This choice of words leaves Yuta on edge. What does he mean by experiment? There seems to be yet another web of lies which has been thoughtfully constructed by his own father.

Doyoung picks up on the blond haired male's facial expression of confusion in regards to his prior statement.

"You never told him?" The raven haired male pulls a hand through his hair as he walks over to Yuta. "That just proves my point."

Being face to face, Yuta is able to fully examine the amount of pain and hurt on the others features. He already looks so drained, his cheeks are red and puffed up, still glistening from the tears which continue to stream down them.

"How do you think the apocalypse started Yuta?" Doyoung questions.

The blond haired male finds himself genuinely stuck as to how to answer. His father has never discussed this with him.

He'd always avoided the topic, saying the world had been like this since before he was born, which was why he knew exactly how to deal with it and exactly how they should act.

|— FIVE YEARS AGO —|

Doyoung could hardly believe what he was reading. He had discovered an opened file on his boss's desk and soon found himself glancing at it whilst waiting for the senior to meet with him, to inform him on their next move.

The title of the front page was successful at immediately grabbing the raven haired male's attention.

Apocalypse Plan 100

It nearly sounded like the title for a story constructed by some clever mind. Yet after reading a few paragraphs, Doyoung was quick to understand that this paper was non-fiction.

It talked of plans to end the world of greed and murder as the old society had know. It spoke of plans to reshape the human race, to create a better and all up safer environment.

The key objective would be to raise his son as the new King of this broken world. He would provide the people with hope and would be able to train them to act well.

Doyoung had always been told the creation of monsters was a natural defect and they were collecting the children for a good cause. He never signed up to help a psychopath out with plans like this.

The entire point of the institute and the others around the world was to create a new army. One bigger and stronger then any of the previous attempts.

"What are you reading?" Mr Nakamoto queries as he enters the office, a short male with brown hair at his side. The raven haired male instantly recognised the shorter as his boyfriend, Moon Taeil.

"What is the means of this?" Doyoung questions straight away. His boss walks around the desk, ripping the file from his hands whilst his boyfriend moves to be standing next to him.

Mr Nakamoto frowns as he closes the file, tightening his grip on the papers.

"The old world was filled with murder and betrayal. Everyone was turning against each other and I couldn't stand witness to it anymore. Especially knowing I would have to raise my son into that world."

Doyoung doesn't like what he is hearing. He shares a quick glance at his boyfriend who seems to remain expressionless as he hears their boss speak. Almost as though this information wasn't new to him.

"I wanted to provide a better environment for my son. Hence I commenced an experiment. I worked alongside scientists to form these monsters and unleash them on the public with plans of forming the cooperation. The board which would seek to form the top 100 children of each country. These children would learn to fight and become the new army. My dearest son would then move on to become King, leading the world to be a better place."

The raven haired male feels as though he wants to throw up. He knew his boss wasn't sane yet this is just sick. The old world wasn't the best but surely no one deserved this fate.

The brown haired male beside him picks up on the younger's anger as he gently takes his hand.

"You've seen the people from the old world, Doyoung. They are the real monsters" He states softly. "Taeyong's father was a prime example of the filth which we are now working to to get rid of."

"I don't agree with it" Doyoung pulls away from his boyfriend as he shakes his head rapidly. "I signed up for a great cause and this most certainly isn't it."

Mr Nakamoto sighs heavily as he lowers his gaze, placing the file back onto the wooden surface of his desk. He clasps his hands behind his back as he takes a step backward.

Nothing is said as the doors to the office swing open once more, two armed men come storming through. They stand on either side of Doyoung, firmly holding him still.

The raven haired male immediately begins to thrash against their grasp, yelling for them to let him go. He makes eye contact with Taeil, shooting the older a pleading gaze for help.

Yet the brown haired male just smiles solemnly, not moving a muscle.

"I've also made this thing called a chip" Mr Nakamoto speaks up again. "Inserted through the stomach they attach themselves to each of the three major vessels in your abdominal area. It's quite fascinating really...The test subjects have had mixed results when the chips put into use. Some go crazy and others remain the same. Either way, it gives me the power to shut down all their internal organs with the click of my fingers."

Doyoung's eyes widen in fear as he hears this. His boss is going to kill him. He is going to die for speaking up.

"Taeil ah" He pleads his boyfriend's name. "Don't let him do this, please."

"You'll be fine, my love. I already have my own. We can finally be one and the same" Is all the older says in response.

Doyoung has no idea what Mr Nakamoto has done to brainwash his lover so easily. The raven haired male didn't fall in love with this heartless creature. He fell in love with a beautiful soul.

The man he fell in love with would've have killed Mr Nakamoto, he would've taken Doyoung away but this man is just standing and getting himself a front row seat.

The raven haired male finds himself with no time to react as he sees Hendery walk up to him, holding a syringe in his right hand. It isn't the typical syringe which one would expect to see in the doctors office.

No, this one was way too big. It had metal bearings wrapped around the glass body which was filled with a tar coloured and textured liquid.

"It would take too long to complete a surgery on every single newcomer at the institute just to insert this chip" Mr Nakamoto's dreaded voice speaks once more. "So we made it into a liquid which gardens as soon as it latches onto your vessels."

Doyoung makes a final attempt to fight off the men who hold him in place. Yet he fails miserably as Hendery pushes up the hem of his shit, exposing his toned stomach.

The doctor softly presses the tip of the syringe against the skin, muttering an apology as he inserts the needle.

Doyoung's head whips backward as he cries out in pain. No needle has ever caused him so much pain and he has certainly had his fair share of injections.

Hendery removes the syringe as he steps away from the raven haired male who breathes rapidly as the chip begins to form from within him.

The two men who were holding him let go, allowing for him to collapse onto the floor as Taeil rushes to his lovers side. He gently caresses the younger's cheek as he has slipped out of consciousness.

Soon Doyoung opens his eyes once more, gasping as though he had been caught under water, not being able to draw breath for a while.

"How do you feel, my love?" Taeil asks him in a loving tone.

The raven haired male looks around himself in confusion as he allows for the brown haired male beside him to assist him onto his feet. Once he is standing, he looks the other people in the room up and down before finally opening his mouth to speak.

"What happened?" He questions to no one in particular.

"Answer me this, Doyoung" Mr Nakamoto avoids the younger's question, completely changing the topic. "What is the cooperation's goal?"

"To make this place home again. To do so we must train the world's children to protect us" Doyoung states firmly.

"Killing those who stand in our way."

|—BACK TO PRESENT DAY—|

"Y-You destroyed the world" Yuta feels disgusted at merely breathing the same air as he monster of a father. He can't even bring himself to look at the older.

"Your mother gave me that exact same look when I told her of my plans. She never understood" Mr Nakamoto remarks.

"Mother never got sick did she?" The blond haired male whispers as he begins to realise the horrid truths of his childhood. "You killed her because she disagreed with your vision."

Mr Nakamoto doesn't deny this as he claps loudly. "Bravo son, you're finally using that thing in between your ears. Though I didn't kill her myself, I just set her up with the neighbourhoods friendly monster."

Yuta feels his eyes beginning to water at the mentioning of his mother. He had been told she had contracted a terminal illness due to the polluted air.

Doyoung has had enough of hearing this. He pulls the knife from his waistband, before the older has a chance to react, he crouches, slashing the back of his ankles.

Screaming out in pain, Mr Nakamoto's legs buckle as he falls to the floor. Doyoung peers into the corridor and gestures for the closest guards to enter.

"Take him to the prison cells and lock him up. I'm running this show now" The raven haired male orders.

The guards don't hesitate as they drag the older away.

Yuta doesn't know how to feel as glances at the raven haired male who wipes the blood on his leg before pocketing his knife once more.

"I'm not letting you go" He says softly. "The coronation will go ahead. I need to have a good old chat with Taeyong before I even consider releasing you."

The blond haired male doesn't have a chance to say anything before the raven haired male storms out of the room.

Doyoung doesn't share a word with anyone as he pushes away his tears, getting into the closest truck. He knows the exact location of where his fiancés body is waiting for him.

He tries to keep a clear mind as he heads out all alone, to the destination which he had hoped he would never get to.

Pulling up at the cottage, he feels his tears pricking at his eyes once more. Any moment and he will see the familiar red haired male on the ground.

He gets out of the truck and chokes back on a sob as he sees the pool of blood which is slowly sinking into the forest floor. Yet there is no body.

The body is gone.


	15. Chapter 15

"Jae" A soft voice gently calls his name. At first he doesn't recognise the identity behind this voice but it soon resonates with him.

Slowly opening his eyes, he squints and has to blink a few times as he allows for his eyes to adjust to the sudden intake of light from his surroundings. He is leaning against a tree atop the top of a hill, which a lake resides at the bottom with beautiful clear waters.

The scent of the fresh cut grass was thick and somehow pleasing in the air. With crystal clear skies and calm water down at the lake, it was nearly a picture of serenity.

"Come play with us" his little sister exclaims as she grabs his arm, doing her best to tug on it with all her strength.

"Us?" Jaehyun can't help but question this. That's when he moves his gaze several metres ahead where he sees a silver haired male throwing a ball back and forth with another boy.

It's Taeyong and Jisung.

Taeyong notices Jaehyun is awake, pausing his throw to smile at the younger before releasing ball, releasing it into the air until it stops its journey, landing in Jisung's grasp.

The brown haired male goes to push himself off the tree but finds he cannot move. He has no control over his limbs, they are dead stiff, refusing to even flinch.

"Hey" Taeyong calls out as he approaches. He hands the ball to Hye, whispering something before letting her go as she runs off towards Jisung. The silver haired male then moves to take a seat beside the younger, leaning into him ever so slightly.

"What is this?" Jaehyun mutters.

"A dream" Taeyong states way too simply.

Jaehyun doesn't pull his gaze away from Hye and Jisung. His sister looks so happy as she runs all over the place in attempt to catch the ball as it falls from the sky. And most of all, she's alive.

He had always dreamed of days like these. Days where there no worries and no monsters. Days where the sky was clear and everything was just calm.

Days where they weren't be taken from their families.

Days where they weren't running away.

"You can stay as long as you'd like" Taeyong voices beside him, bringing his focus back to the silver haired male. It is now that the brown haired male notices the simple jeans and white t-shirt which hugs the older's frame.

It's nice seeing him looking comfortable, instead of being concerned and in black.

The wounds seem to be non-existent on this Taeyong. Just as Jaehyun has always hoped. More then anything he just wants to keep the older from harm. Yet there is only so much he can do.

"I can't sleep forever" Jaehyun eventually says in return.

"Why not?" The silver haired male shrugs softly. "It's the apocalypse, the boundaries of the human brain are surely able to change."

I want to stay.

Is what Jaehyun wants to say, yet he knows he can't. As much as the grey skies in reality are really draining, he still has more purpose there. This place needs to remain as...a dream.

"Surely you're tired of running away all the time" Taeyong seems to know what he is thinking. "Just stay here and rest for a while. There is no harm in that."

"You're wrong" Jaehyun rebuts. "I can't move here, I don't have control."

Taeyong keeps avoiding his gaze as he talks and that only makes it sink in more for Jaehyun, the fact that this Taeyong isn't real.

"You're not in control but you're in your dream scene. Isn't that better then being in hell with full control?"

Shaking his head, Jaehyun denies him. "I'd prefer to be stuck in that misery of a place with the man I love over being here with lifeless replicas any day of the week."

"You're crazy" Taeyong mutters as he stands from the tree.

"The best people are" Jaehyun smirks to himself as he allows for his eyes to close once more.

— — — —

The truck was still moving, Jaehyun could feel the motion of the vehicle before opening his eyes. The familiar feeling of the uncomfortable seat beneath him made him realise immediately that he was no longer in the dream.

"You slept for a while" The real Taeyong speaks to him. "We've been on the road for six hours."

"Do you want to tag team? I'll drive for a bit so you can rest" The brown haired male offers. He briefly glances at the wound on the older's shoulder which seems to be doing okay after it had to be dressed again.

The stitches split at the cottage and the bandage quickly filled with blood.

"I'm fine" The silver haired male remarks quietly. His eyes move away from the road to glance at the younger for a moment before going back to the darkened road before them.

The brown haired male doesn't take long to notice the other two trucks are behind them.

"You cried" The older mutters suddenly. "While you were asleep, you cried."

Jaehyun isn't surprised by this revelation.

"I was dreaming. The apocalypse never occurred and Hye was alive. Jisung was with us and we were happy."

"Your tears were filled with sorrow. I know you well enough to know that. Why were you sad?" Taeyong sounds concerned as he says this.

"I was sad because it was a reality which could never happen. I was sad because it was a lie."

There is a brief moment of silence as the older tries to process what is being said. Smiling sadly, he reaches to the younger with his left hand, gently lacing his fingers with the other as he just squeezes them reassuringly.

"You're crazy" He repeats what his dream version had said.

Jaehyun doesn't say anything as he turns to gaze at the older's side profile, silver haired male's concentration on the road before them.

"But you're my crazy, Jae."

The younger smiles softly at this remark. He reaches out to gently squeeze the older's thigh, opting for silence as he moves his gaze to be ahead once more.

The thought barely passes through his mind, yet he finds himself slowly moving his hand back and forth the older's upper thigh. The silver haired male swallows noticeably as he tries to straighten his posture in the seat, eyes glued to the road.

Jaehyun turns his head to gaze out the rear window, confirming the other two vehicles are still close behind, meaning they'd had clear vision inside their own truck and if it were to swerve or divert passage.

Contempt that it will be fine, the younger softly brushes his hand over Taeyong's crotch. He pauses, waiting for his response, waiting for him to tell him to stop. Yet he doesn't. Instead he merely bites his bottom lip, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

He allows for his hand to hover over Taeyong's member as he palms it through the pants. The silver head lets out a shaky breath, doing his best to keep his focus on the road. He removes one hand from the steering wheel just as the younger unclips his seat belt, allowing for it to be removed completely.

Jaehyun sinks down in his seat slightly, trying to weave his arm between the hand brake and the console as he slowly unzips the older's pants.

The car swerves slightly to the left as Taeyong lifts his butt of the seat, long enough for the brown haired male to pull down his pants and underwear until they reach his mid thigh.

The brown haired male smiles as as the older's semi hard length. He wastes no time in wrapping his hand around the base, beginning to slowly pump it. This causes for a soft moan to escape from Taeyong's as he does his best to not move around in his seat too much.

They can't let the others see what is happening. Taeyong allows for his attention to drift, ever so briefly, as he turns to look at his lover.

"Focus on driving" Jaehyun's voice is hoarse.

The older pouts slightly but obliges, turning his head forward once more.

To reward the older for listening, Jaehyun quickens the pace of his hand. Precum is now leaking from the top of Taeyong's hardened dick. The movement of the brown haired males hand lubricates the silver haired's member.

Taeyong's breathing quickens, moans slowly becoming louder as he struggles to keep quiet, feeling his release approaching.

Jaehyun slows the pace once more as he brushes his thumb over the leaking tip. Taeyong swerves to the right but is quick to straighten the vehicle once more.

"J-Jae, please" The older cries softly in a pleading tone.

The younger is more than happy to oblige as he wraps his entire hand around the others dick once more. His own breathing quickens slightly as he begins to quickly jerk him off once more.

Taeyong thrusts himself into the younger's hand a few times, as best as he can without removing his feet from the pedals.

The obscene sound of skin slapping against skin becomes a quite prominent sound within the truck, amongst the silver haired male's moans.

Taeyong can't hold back as a loud sound of pleasure emits from his mouth, his seed coating Jaehyun's hand. The younger continues to pump his member throughout the older's orgasm.

Leaning over, he presses a kiss to the other's cheek.

He pulls his hand away and grabs a few tissues from the first aid kit which sits in the glove box, using them to clean up for the older. Once he's finished, Taeyong manages to muster the strength to raise himself once more, allowing for Jaehyun to pull his pants up once more.

"You okay?" Jaehyun asks as he tries to distract himself from the obvious bulge from within his own trousers.

Taeyong looks at him briefly and smiles softly.   
"I'm great, Jae. I really am."

The younger can't help but smile too, seeing the older like this. Looking out the windshield, he can't help but feel surprised as he sees them approaching a tall, darkened wall which has barbed wire covering the top.

Taeyong frowns seeing this, he slowly pulls the truck to a halt, the other two coming to a stop on either side. Jaehyun can't help but feel confused as he views the wall, having no idea what this place is. Yet the older seems to know exactly where they are as he turns to make eye contact with Lucas then turning to make eye contact with Sicheng. He gestures for them to drive into the woods to their left which they all do.

Once they have parked again, everyone gets out, meeting in the space which is just in front of the trucks.

"Yuta's safe house has a lot of security there yet it isn't as tight as you would think" Taeyong explains to them all. That's when it clicks for the younger. The wall must be surrounding the perimeter of Yuta's safe house. They have finally arrived.

"Without having Yuta here, Mr Nakamoto had only assigned enough men here to be able to guard the entrance. There is a lock which only Yuta knows the code for which would've disarmed the soldiers immediately but we aren't lucky enough to have it that easy."

"We will have to fight them won't we?" Lucas questions.

Taeyong hums in agreement.

"I assisted Taeil a while back in designing the security for this place. There are three of the best trained soldiers out the front whilst there are only two at the back. None on the sides as the only entrances are at the back or the front." Taeyong continues to voice the possible plan.

"Jungwoo will go with Lucas to fight the soldiers at the back whilst Sicheng, Jae and I will go to the ones at the front."

Lucas doesn't like the idea of making Jungwoo fight. He doesn't hesitate in voicing his discontent.

"Jungwoo isn't fighting. I'll take Jaehyun, you and Sicheng are pretty good."

"Jungwoo will be fighting. The soldiers at the back aren't that good. Besides, Jae needs to stick with me. I'm injured and I need to be able to keep him safe" Taeyong retorts. He immediately shuts down Lucas' statements as he says this.

"That sounds good but how do we get over the wall? They won't be letting us through the front gates and the entire wall barricade is covered with barbed wire" Sicheng brings up the concern which has been circling everyone's minds.

"A bit of barbed wire never stopped anyone" Taeyong says with a devilish smirk.

Jaehyun finds himself disagreeing and he gently pulls the older aside. The older winces slightly as the younger has grabbed his wound arm.

"You are no where near fit enough to be crawling over a barbed wire laced fence. You need to be able to fight these men which you are already going to struggle to do. You can't rush hurting yourself any—"

The brown haired male is cut off as Taeyong leans up, pecking his lips against his own.

"Stop stressing. You sound way too much like me" He frowns.   
The others look on slightly surprised as they see this sudden act of intimacy.

"Let me go over the wall yeah? I could shoot them" Jaehyun suggests quietly.

Yet Taeyong just shakes his head. "As soon as one shot goes off, the rest will be alerted of your location and they'll only shoot you down. And what if you miss?"

"Maybe someone needs to sacrifice themselves for us to be able to get into this house, Taeyong. I'd prefer it to be me" Jaehyun continues to insist.

The older continues to shut him down yet before he can move to stop him, Jaehyun has pushed past him, rushing to the wall. He pats down his weapons belt, confirming his gun is still in there from where he replaced it earlier.

"Jaehyun stop! Don't you dare!" Taeyong tries to yell a bit more softly as he goes after his lover. He can't rush the soldiers hearing their yelling.

The brown haired male manages to climb up onto a low hanging branch as he hoists himself high enough to be able to grab onto the top of the wall. He manages to plant his feet beneath the barbed wire as he moves to be in a crouched position, skin merely missing the sharp wire.

He gazed down at Taeyong who is shaking his head rapidly. The others come up behind him as they prepare to follow climbing up onto the wall if need be.

Jaehyun finds he has positioned himself on a section of wall which is toward the back of the house. He can see two soldiers standing there holding their rifles by their sides as they seem to softly whistle a tune to themselves.

The brown haired male manages to pull his gun from the waistband, wincing as he cuts the top of his hand on the wire. Trying to ignore the pain from this, he aims his weapon straight for the head of the first shoulder.

After shooting him, he will have to move fast to get the other one. He won't have time to hesitate or aim, he will have to get the head on the first go or there is a huge chance he will die.

Taking a deep and steady breath, he tries to remember his training from that one day where Taeyong had assisted him in learning to hit the centre of that target. He will need to be able to pull off the skill he had on that day. Which he only had for one shot.

Without giving himself anymore time to think, he pulls the trigger.

Miraculously, the first soldier collapses onto the ground, blood quickly pooling around his head. Jaehyun moves to shoot the other soldier which he does, yet as the soldier moves to face him, he only manages to graze his cheek.

Jaehyun goes to shoot him again yet the gun just clicks. Cursing, he realises he has no bullets remaining so he throws the gun to the ground.

The soldier is given plenty of time to aim for him, he pulls the trigger. Taeyong yells out his lovers name as he witnesses the younger falling over the side of the wall, landing on the inside.

Ignoring the roaring pain in his shoulder, Taeyong scales the wall as fast as he possibly can. He allows for the barbed wire to rip the hanging parts of his clothes as well as loosely scratch his skin as he takes a successful head shot at the soldier.

Before he has a chance to check if Jaehyun is okay, he hears the other three soldiers approaching. He hadn't realised Lucas at his side and jumped slightly as the taller throws a dagger at the oncoming men. It lands within the males eye, sending him to the ground.

Taeyong shoots the other one whilst Sicheng throws his own dagger, taking out the third. Jungwoo is still on the ground, not sure is he is meant to climb the wall yet whilst the other three stand on top.

The silver haired male wastes no more time as he steps over the barbed wire, jumping to the ground. He tucks and rolls a few times as he hits the ground before coming to a stop.

Jaehyun lays in a heap on the ground, unconscious with a trail of blood dripping down his head. Taeyong panics as he runs over to be crouched before the younger.

"Jae?! Jae!" He screams his name as he shakes the younger's body. He tries to see if the bullet hit his head but he can't find an entry point. Yet the brown haired male won't wake up. He checks for a pulse, feeling slightly relieved as he feels a faint heartbeat.

Yet he still won't wake up.

Sicheng comes up to his side, gently placing a hand on Taeyong's back as he gets a view of the situation which is unfolding before him.

"He won't wake up. Why won't he wake up?!" The silver haired male feels himself beginning to hyperventilate.

Sicheng manages to push the older away as he separates the pair. Taeyong panicking like this won't help Jaehyun at all. The younger rolls the brown haired male onto his back and gently shakes his side.

He can't do chest compressions as the other's heart is still beating.

Finally, the unconscious male begins to cough. Sicheng rolls him back onto his side and he instantly coughs up a few drops of blood. Taeyong barges past Sicheng as he grabs onto Jaehyun's arm.

The brown haired male opens his eyes, looking up to gaze at the older. Slowly he moves into a seated position, not having a chance to speak as Taeyong throws himself at him, wrapping his arms around him.

"You really scared me, never do that again" Taeyong exclaims.

Jaehyun can feel the older's racing heartbeat as he leans into him. He must've thought he had died for a few moments there. The brown haired male hasn't seen the other so worked up since he lost Jisung.

"It just grazed the top of my head" He opts to say. "I was knocked unconscious from the sudden fall from such a big height."

Taeyong pulls away to examine the source of the blood stream on his lover's face. Looking at it with a more calm mind he notices it is merely a graze.

They got lucky.

The pair are interrupted from their moment at the sudden sound of a window being broken. Taeyong helps Jaehyun onto his feet before alongside Sicheng, they make their way to the front of the house where they see Lucas has smashed the small window by the door to unlock it, Jungwoo behind him.

"We don't have the key" Lucas shrugs sheepishly as the door swings open.

"You are so lucky they don't have an alarm installed" Is all Taeyong says.

"It doesn't sound like a very good safe house" The taller mutters beneath his breath.

"It has a system which is only switch on once Yuta enters. So it won't be activated until we take him back" The older explains quickly.

They enter the house, going straight to the lounge room where a large television occupies a large space on the wall. The silver haired male turns it on, flicking to the new station to check if there's any news on them or the institute.

He frowns bitterly as he sees the all two familiar man in his black suit. Jaehyun walks up to his side, pressing up against his back, allowing for the older to lean against him slightly. The others move to all be standing with a clear vision of the screen.

"Hello citizens of the world. You all know of my name, yet I have a new title. The old sorcerer was unfortunately a lying bastard who was planning to wreak so much havoc to our poor world. Fortunately I over took him and he was locked up where he will no longer be able to remain in control. This leaves me as your new sorcerer."

This isn't good at all.

"For the past half century or so, we have been taking children from their families, training them to fight the monsters and to try and win back control of what we once called home. That was project 100 which was created by Mr Nakamoto. Whilst I have discovered the many flaws of this plan, there was one part which I must admit he was right about."

Taeyong has a terrible feeling he knows exactly what Doyoung is going to say next.

"To be able to bring our home back, to muster the strength to fight off these monsters, we need someone who can lead us and not a simple defence leader such as myself. We need a King. Nakamoto Yuta has been in training to fill this position ever since he was born 20 years ago. The fall of his father means it is time for his coronation. In two days time, in the pavilion outside the institute, you will all bend the knee to your new king. All are obliged to come and anyone who isn't there will swiftly be executed."

Not wanting to hear any more of it, Taeyong turns off the screen, leaning further back into the younger's warm embrace.

"They're going to crown Yuta" Sicheng's voice wavers as he says this. He moves to take a seat on the couch as he feels his legs are going to give way beneath him.

"Yuta will become King" Taeyong says softly, causing for all eyes to fall on him, all holding solemn expressions.

"We are going to kidnap the King."


	16. Chapter 16

The steam of the hot water felt calming as Yuta rested in it. He was laying down in the tub, far enough that the waterline reaches his neck. His legs were bent, knees sticking out above the water whilst he just held his eyes closed.

Doyoung told him he needed to get cleaned up. The new King couldn't be dirty. No one would want to follow the orders from someone who looked as though they had been random let selected from the streets.Yuta still has several bruises and cuts on his face which the raven haired male was now working hard to remove. He had even gone as far as to provide the light haired male with one of the female carers to help bathe him.

Yet Yuta had politely declined the offer as he knew exactly what this 'carer' would try to do. He had made that mistake once before and he wouldn't be fooled into doing so again.

It had been so long since Yuta had been provided with an opportunity to merely soak in a bath and relax. Yes, it wasn't exactly the prime conditions which he would've hoped for, but it was better then nothing.

The others had escaped only at the cost of his own capture. Whilst his father and Doyoung could take a lot from him, this time in the bath, time within his own thoughts could not he touched by anyone.

At least that's what he had thought.

He was proved wrong when the door to the bathroom suddenly opened, revealing Doyoung standing before the bath. Yuta moved to cover himself, eyes widening in shock as he sees the raven haired male before him.

"It's time to get out and prepare yourself to introduce yourself to the public prior to your coronation in two days" He speaks firmly, a tight smile covering his features.

"Could I just have more time?" Yuta attempts to ask.

He is shut down immediately as the male before him just shakes his head. He says no more as he steps out of the room once more.

Sighing in frustration, Yuta runs his hand through his hair before standing in the tub. He reaches to grab his towel, tying it around his waist as he steps out onto the floor. He begins to dry himself off, only exiting once he's mostly dry.

He is slightly startled to see Hyuna waiting in his room, seated on the end of his bed. She stands instantly, bowing her head as she sees him.

"Your Majesty, I've been sent to assist you with appropriate dress wear for your interview" She explains quietly.

Yuta looks down at the towel which is the only thing covering him from the low waist down before looking back at the woman who stands in his room.

"If you would care to turn around, I need to get decent" He tells her, a blush forming on his cheeks.

"I know you're gay, my King" Hyuna remarks as she turns around. "If it makes you feel any better I also have a boyfriend. I'm merely here to help you pick out the right outfit."

"Don't call me your King. I'm no one's King" Yuta says harshly. He doesn't like the title, not one bit. Being King means he loses Sicheng. Being King means his father wins.

Hyuna turns around without waiting for him to give her notice. Her timing seems to be fine as he has managed to slip into a pair of briefs.

"You'll be everyone's King within 48 hours" She states simply as she moves toward his closet. From here she pulls out a black suit, one which resembles the one that Doyoung wears to each of his meetings on the news.

No words are spoken between the two as Yuta puts on the suit. He gets Hyuna to assist with the tie, she manages to complete it quickly and neatly before stepping back from him.

"You miss him" She mutters suddenly.

Yuta pauses in his own thoughts as he stares at her, eyes widened slightly by her words.

"I know a way which you can talk to him again."

"What?!" Yuta exclaims in a slightly hushed tone as he steps closer to Hyuna once more, hoping to be able to hear her more clearly.

"All phone lines were destroyed upon the beginning of the apocalypse all those years ago. Yet your father kept one working and only one" She explains to him. "There is a phone in his office which can only make one call to the phone which is in your bedroom...In your safe house."

Yuta could faintly remember overhearing his father speaking to Taeil and Doyoung about a single phone line a while ago. Yet at the time he thought he was hearing things due to all the news of Mr Nakamoto destroying all phones.

"Why are you telling me this?" The light haired male can't help but ask this question. Him and Hyuna hadn't spoken too much over the years, only on official matters.

"I want you to be a good King" She raises her gaze to meet his. "A good King who will save us all."

Without speaking another word she turns on her heel and makes her way to the door. She halts after wrapping her hand around the handle, looking back toward Yuta once more.

"You have 30 minutes before Doyoung will get impatient and come looking for you." Smiling softly, she opens the door and leaves.

Yuta stands in the same spot for a few moments as he processes what he was just told. He has to get to that phone and make that call before he gets caught.

Surely they've reached the safe house by now.

Rushing to the door, Yuta checks the hallway is clear before running in the direction of his father's office. The door is locked which doesn't surprise him at all. Making sure no one is watching, he stands back and kicks beside the handle. This bursts the lock as the door swings open, crashing against the wall behind it.

Stepping inside, he is quick to close it as best as he can before hurrying over to the desk. The phone doesn't stand out to him straight away, yet as soon as he takes a seat in his father's chair he is quick to see the handset which has been placed on the bottom of the desk.

He'll have to find the file which contains the phone number. Where would his father contain a document of such importance?

Think Yuta. Think.

When he was a child, Mr Nakamoto tended to tell his son stories of people who would hide away important objects within secret locations like bits of wood on a desk which would move if pushed from the right place.

Crouching on the floor, Yuta brushes his hands on the smooth, wooden surface, trying to find a loose bit. It isn't long before he manages to find a section which budges slightly. Pushing on it more harshly, the entire slab moves backward, allowing for two files to fall onto the floor.

Yuta grabs them both before moving to be seated in the chair once more. He moves quickly to open the file on top. It isn't the one which he was searching for yet the title catches his eye.

Cloning

What on earth could his father have possibly done in regards to cloning? It was always a theme used in horror movies and mentioned within novels. No one had ever considered it working in real life.

Delaying precious time, Yuta can't help but flick through the pages, halting on one which holds the picture of someone who is very familiar.

He reads it under his breath, softly in a whisper.

"People are going to die and there's no doubt about it. However there are some people who are key to Plan 100 which we can't afford to lose. Times will come where they will be faced with death and I need to stand in the way of this. I need to find out how to duplicate these people and send the clones alone into death."

Yuta furrows his brows together as he starts to process what he is reading.

"These dead clones turn into someone ungodly. Monsters would be what the children refer to them as. That's a suitable ending for the said clones. I've managed to make them work. The clone has the same memories as the real person. The first individual to be successfully cloned is my top fighter, Moon Taeil."

A pause as Yuta rereads this like at least 10 times. Taeil has been cloned...Taeil is still alive? That can't be, Mr Nakamoto is insane but surely he wouldn't be that crazy.

Clones? That would be insane.

Yet it makes sense. Mr Nakamoto was so nonchalant when Taeil had supposedly been shot during the attempt to get the escapees back to the institute. Even for a man who feels little to no empathy, one would've thought he felt a little more for his most prized fighter.

Realising he has just thrown away 15 minutes of his time, Yuta pushes this file away, deciding to focus on it later and bring his attention back to the possibility of speaking to his love one last time.

He opens the file beneath it which contains a phone number with no label beside it. Assuming it's the right one, Yuta picks up the phone, pressing it to his ear as he dials the number.

The phone rings again and again, the light haired male, biting his tongue hoping someone will answer it. He only has one chance for this to work. He can't even begin to think what will happen if it doesn't.

"Hello?" The phone is answered by none other than Sicheng on the final ring.

Yuta brings his spare hand to cover his mouth, blocking his broken sob as he hears the younger's soothing voice.

"Sicheng ah, it's me" He whispers, voice wavering like crazy.

"Yuta?! How?" Sicheng's tone immediately grows to one which is not only happy but panicked at the same time as he realised who he is speaking to.

"I don't have time to explain. But please, I love you, even once I'm King, I'm not going to leave you" The light haired male informs the other, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"We are going to come for you, Yuta. We aren't going to let them have you" Sicheng's voice wavers slightly as he says this.

"Don't cry, love" Yuta sniffs.

He gazed down at the ground, eyes flickering over the file about the clones. Taking a deep breath, he starts to explain the concept to his boyfriend. Just in case something goes wrong, he needs to make sure the others know about it.

"Do you reckon he cloned you..?" Sicheng asks the inevitable.

"I..." Yuta goes quiet as he takes this into consideration. He saw nothing which suggested that he had been cloned as well. Yet according to his father's logic, he was included as one of the most important people to this whole plan.

However Yuta doesn't have a chance to respond in full as the door to his father's office is kicked off its hinges, sending it crashing onto the floor. Doyoung stands in the archway, two y'all and heavily armed men a step behind him.

He doesn't even have a chance to tell Sicheng how much he loves him as Doyoung withdraws a dagger from his pocket, throwing it at the cord, severing it on his first throw.

"I thought you were smarter than this, Yuta" Doyoung frowns, shaking his head slowly. He gestured with his left hand and the men behind him immediately move toward the light haired male.

They grab Yuta from each side as they pull him out of the seat, roughly holding him on his fight. He struggles against them yet they manage to hold onto him firmly.

"You can't harm me" He scowls harshly at Doyoung. "The King mustn't be harmed."

"You are correct" Doyoung agrees as he walks up to the younger. He leans in slowly as he seems to be examining the healing cuts and bruises on the other's head.

"Your face is required to stay intact. No one will be seeing what is taking place beneath the clothes."

Yuta can't help but feel a sense of fear as he hears this.

"Your father never approved of the use of whips against prisoners. He always said it was too harsh. Yet he is no longer in power to make those choices." The raven haired male smirks. "I say you should receive 40 lashes to your back. The interview can wait."

"No" Yuta mutters. He makes another attempt to break out of his captor's grasp yet is easily held still as they drag him from the room.

Doyoung goes to follow them down to the prison space where the whips are stored yet he is brought to a stop as another guard steps before him.

"We have an issue" The male reports.

"What kind?" Doyoung asks, impatiently.

"Mr Nakamoto has escaped."

— — — —

"Yuta?! Yuta!" Sicheng yells into the phone even after he can hears the tones which suggest the phone has been disconnected. 

He is still trying to figure out how a phone line was still intact. It makes no sense at all. It had been a tale told for many years that the start of the apocalypse had initiated the loss of all functioning phone lines.

"Is everything okay?" Lucas asks as he rushes into the master bedroom which would've been Yuta's.  
Sicheng puts down the phone, tears still glistening on his cheeks as he turns to gaze at the taller.

"We have to get him back" He mutters, afraid that if he speaks to loud, he will fall apart. The pain claws at his heart, and at his throat, begging to be released in sobs and cries yet Sicheng keeps pushing it away.

"We will. Taeyong will come up with something. He always does" Lucas does his best to sound reassuring as he walks over to his friend, gently wrapping his arms around the older.

— — — —

Jaehyun gently unwraps the bandage around Taeyong's shoulder, doing his best to not cause the older any pain. The bandage hasn't been changed for a while now.

The silver haired male can't help but since as the younger fully removes the dirtied material. He sits before the brown haired male in only his pants and shoes. His weapons belt and shirt discarded to the side on the floor.

Jaehyun's gaze doesn't wander at all as he focuses on cleaning out the wound as best as he can with the supplies from the first aid kit. He manages to quickly and efficiently disinfect the wound which is slightly open still before wrapping it in the bandage once more.

"Once this is all over, you really need to rest. Otherwise your arm is going to continue ripping apart and it will never heal" The younger advises the older who can't take his gaze off his lips.

He grabs the collar of Jaehyun's shirt, pulling him closer as he crashes his lips against the younger's. It doesn't take long for him to respond as Jaehyun moves to be crouched before Taeyong who is seated on the edge of the bathtub.

The kiss is heated and filled with need for the other. Feeling the silver haired males hands roaming beneath his shirt, Jaehyun pulls away from the kiss, staring him in the eye.

"I'd take you here and now if I could" He states lowly, voice hoarse.

"Then why don't you?" Taeyong challenges, leaning forward to kiss him again. Yet Jaehyun pushes him away again, chuckling softly as he looks at the older's disappointed expression.

"Because we have to figure out how we will kidnap the newly crowned King" The brown haired male states, standing once more.

Taeyong moves to be standing as well, pouting as he works on putting his shirt over his thin yet well sculpted frame once more.

"How are we going to do that?"

The pair are interrupted from their conversation as Lucas bursts into the bathroom. "You guys have to see this. Yuta is on TV."

There is not a moments hesitation as they all rush out into the living room where the familiar light haired male can be seen on screen.

He looks as though he were in a level of discomfort as he remains seated on the chair. He doesn't lean against the backing, instead opting to be in the edge of his seat as he does his best to not since each time he breathes.

"What are your plans as King?" The reporter asks him.

"My plans are to simply bring the ruins we call home back to the peaceful environment we once knew" Yuta responds with a smile, he seems pained as he makes this expression.

"They've hurt him" Sicheng sounds horrified. "Bastards."

Taeyong can't help but frown as he views the state of his friend on the screen. They need to come up with a way to save him and come up with it quickly.

The coronation will not wait.


	17. Chapter 17

Tomorrow was the day which Sicheng was dreading. Tomorrow, the love of his life is set to become King. To most that wouldn't be such a terrible thing. To most it would be a joyous moment, having your significant other stepping into so much power, having you by their side.

Yet this situation was so much different. Sicheng had told Yuta he would leave him if this happened. If they failed...He promised he would leave.

He couldn't bear the thought of being with a man who was committed to produce airs with women and play the part designed by his advisors.

Kings are meant to hold so much power, everyone should be below them. This will not be the case with dear Yuta. It doesn't take a fool to be able to know this. There is no way Doyoung will step back and allow for the blond haired male to rule the world alone.

All of his murderous desires will now be so much easier to execute.

The world will grow to accept this new hope and cling onto it as it will be the only thing which may promise them safety. Yet it won't take long for it all to be ripped away from them as the bitter truths or Doyoung's intentions are slowly leaked out onto the surface.

Sicheng isn't ready to sit back and watch as his true love is forced to be a puppet. He'd much prefer to die in all honestly...Unless they could possibly save him.

Taeyong had called everyone to the lounge room to discuss the plan for the coronation. He wants to wait until after Yuta has been crowned as he can be of more use once he is King. It would make it easier when it comes to passing guards and borders.

No one questions the King.

They were all seated on the two couches with the coffee table seated in the middle. Even Jungwoo was seated down here with everyone. He remained quiet for the most of it, just listening in.

"From what we know, the coronation is being held outside the institute. The entire city will be there as Doyoung basically promised to slaughter any who dare to not show up so we will have an opportunity to remain hidden in the crowds" Taeyong taps his chin with his forefinger as he speaks.

Sicheng weakly has his arms wrapped around himself as he just leans backwards into his seat as far as possible. He nods slowly at Taeyong's words.

"Doyoung will have all of his best men set up to protect Yuta" Lucas speaks up. "We need to have someone distraction then or somehow find a break where they are a considerable distance away before we can take Yuta."

"I'll be on the front line, working on the guards. We will have a very narrow space of time where the guards will need to be dealt with quickly and efficiently whilst giving the others a chance to run off with the King." Taeyong sighs heavily as he tries to think of something which could work.

Jaehyun leans forwards as he rests his arms on his thighs, lowering his gaze to focus on his feet. "As much as you are a skilled fighter Taeyong, you're still injured."

"You're not my mother Jae" The older shrugs him off.

"True that may be but I'm the closest thing you have to a doctor" The brown haired retorts. "You risk having that as an open wound for years to come if you keep ripping it open. The chance of it growing infected and leaving behind an even bigger scar would grow significantly."

Taeyong slowly turns his head to the side as he glares at his lover, not even a hint of his usual loving gaze seems to be hidden away in his eyes.

"Everyone is needed to play their parts Jaehyun. I cant simply call in sick and sit on the sidelines whilst watching you all get caught" He speaks harshly, causing for the younger to straighten up in the seat once more, gently placing his hand on the other's knee. Yet

Taeyong pushes him off.

"I'm not saying you can't do anything. I'm just saying it would be better if you merely helped to take Yuta away. You're the fastest out of all of us and besides, you know the grounds around the institute better than any of us" Jaehyun tries to clear his name in the older's eyes.

"I could help" Jungwoo's soft voice states quietly.

All heads turn to face him in the moment, Taeyong and Jaehyun completely forgetting about their quarrel.

"How so?" Taeyong queries, sounding genuinely interested. At this point he is open to suggestions from talking animals.

"I assisted my father on crashing a coronation a few months ago. Yet we weren't saving the King, we were assassinating him" The blue haired keeps his tone soft.

"My father and I managed to hide ourselves behind the archway which was just behind where the stage was. The guards were all on the other side of the wall and surrounding the audience. They themselves were surrounded by my father's men. Halfway through the new King's speech my father and I both stepped out of the archway and shot the two closest guards dead as we took them by surprise. Before the other guards had a chance to get involved, my father's men killed them as well. Father then took his time to walk over to the King and slit his throat before we took his crown and ran."

There is a stunned silence throughout the room as everyone just looks at Jungwoo, eyes wide and mouths dropped open slightly. Jungwoo just sits there as though he hadn't just spoken of killing someone but instead of a time he went camping.

"Which King was this?" Sicheng asks, the first thing he's said since the beginning of this small meeting.

"His name was Jung Taekwoon. He wasn't an official King or anything. Just a figure whom a small group of rebels could look up to for guidance" Jungwoo explains.

"Why did you kill him?" Sicheng keeps pressing questions.

Taeyong picks up on what he is doing yet he doesn't say anything. If the dark haired male will feel better about their mission ahead with getting Yuta by asking questions then let him do it.

"He killed a lot of innocents to get to that position. Yes my father did terrible things to me but he actually was decent when it came to treating others." Jungwoo avoids meeting anyone's gaze as he continued to talk.

"I say we pick up a plan which is similar to this one then. This one worked so it'll give us more of a chance" Lucas exclaims.

"Jaehyun and I could work on capturing Yuta after he has been crowned" Sicheng contributes to the plan. Taeyong doesn't like the idea of not staying by his lover's side, this is evident in his gaze which Jaehyun picks up on immediately.

The younger silently moves to squeeze the older's thigh reassuringly as he turns to face the other. "Sicheng is strong and I'm not as weak as I seem. I'll be fine."

"You nearly died after falling from that wall and being shot at. How do I know that you don't have a concussion?" The silver haired asks, tone the same as one held by a concerned parent. "What if something goes wrong? I won't be there to save you."

"I'm not a statue, Taeyong" Sicheng arcs up, he is slowly becoming annoyed with the whole matter. "Stop talking as though I can't protect anyone and as though I'm too weak to do anything. You may be the strongest of us all but I don't see you at your peak performance as we speak. You and I both know that I am the next strongest after you which means I could easily beat your ass if we had a fight right now. If anything, Jaehyun will be safer with me."

The older is too shocked by the sudden outburst to say a word. He just swallows visibly before leaning into the younger's side a little more. It is clear that he feels uncomfortable, knowing what Sicheng had just said was completely valid.

"Jungwoo, you and me could corner the crowd. We can cover the guards on the outside, allowing for Jaehyun and Sicheng to have their best chance" Lucas is the first to speak again.

"That could work" Taeyong agrees, humbly.

"We'll need to hide the trucks close enough for us to be on the road as soon as possible. It won't take long for Doyoung to get backup" Sicheng starts to speak up more, after having his outburst at the older.

"Doyoung wouldn't be able to tell them apart from the other trucks which will surely be around. It would be safe enough to leave them just next to the venue" Lucas sounds pleased as he says this.

Taeyong remains silent as he starts to chew the ends of his finger nails, the plan is coming along nicely yet he can't help but feel as though something is going to go wrong. Yet he can't seem to place a finger on what the flaw is.

Jaehyun notices the stress in the older's posture as he pulls the silver haired male to lean into his side more, wrapping his arm around him as a gesture of comfort.

"We will arrive with little to no time to spare before the ceremony as we don't want to risk being recognised before it begins" The older mutters, not removing his fingers from his mouth as he does so.

"We arrive, Sicheng and Jaehyun will stalk through the crowd until they get to the front, making sure they are able to have quick access to the stage when they need to," Lucas begins to go through the plan. "Taeyong, Jungwoo and myself will be on the outskirts, waiting to deal with the guards on the outside which completely leaves whoever is there to protect Yuta to Sicheng and Jaehyun. Once that crown lands on Yuta's head, you guys jump onto that stage and you shoot the guards, running away with our hostage, taking him to the trucks where we will soon meet you once we have taken care of the outer guards."

"I like it" Jungwoo nods firmly. "If executed successfully we shouldn't have any issues."

"I agree" Jaehyun voices, turning to try and lock gazes with the silver haired male who just stares off into the distance. The brown haired male mentions something about having a moment alone, causing for the room to clear out as everyone leaves to get something to eat from the kitchen.

This leaves the pair alone on the couch together.

"Hey" Jaehyun calls softly, gently nudging his lover's side. "What are you thinking about?"

"Death" Taeyong replies quite miserably. "What happened to your sister, what happened to my parents, your parents, what could happen to my brother, what could happen to any of us tomorrow."

The younger sighs as stands up from the couch, pulling Taeyong to be on his feet as well. The older stares at him in confusion but soon calms down once more as the brown haired male places his hands on his waist, pulling his small frame against his own as he gazes down at him.

"How many times do I need to tell you to stop overthinking everything?" He leans down and presses his lips to the older's forehead. Pausing as he allows for his lips to linger for a moment before pulling away.

"Whenever things are getting to be too much, whenever your thoughts are too crazy, just focus on me okay? Let me be your rock."

Taeyong has heard that last like on so many tv shows and movies that he thought he would cringe beyond belief if he heard someone else telling it to him. Yet hearing it from Jae made him want to fall apart then and there. He was falling in love and the younger was doing nothing to slow the process.

Not waiting for a response, Jaehyun leans down once more, this time pressing his lips against the other's. Taeyong places his hands on the back on the younger's head as he kisses him back.

The kiss is slow and filled with longing. The world seems to stop and only spin for this pair in this moment. There is no apocalypse when they are together like this. All worries, no matter how big or small, just disappear. If they could just stay like this, they would.

Yet they couldn't and they would have to accept that soon.

The only thing they had left to do was to take back their king.

Then and only then would they be able to consider being together in a world with no worries. Even that would be an impossible task in itself. Yet no one was strong enough to face that right now. Right now they needed the hope to keep them fighting. This tiny glimmer of a rainbow peeking through the rain was the only thing which gave them any motivation.

If they lost that...They'd lose themselves.

— — — —

Yuta could view the crowds flooding to be before the place where he was to accept his crown in a few hours time, from the window of his room.

It caused nothing but pain as he witnessed this.

Not just mental, but his back was still in great pain from the still opened wounds which decorated the entire surface area on his back. Doyoung rubbed salt into the wounds after his interview last night, helping to cause more pain, also aggravating the wounds in the process.

The raven haired male wasn't going to allow for the Prince to heal that easily, not after what he had done.

Yuta couldn't stop thinking about the brief phone call which he had managed to have with his boyfriend. He missed Sicheng with his entire heart and was so relived to hear that he was still okay.

He has so many memories of the shared moments between him and Sicheng which made it feel as though the world wasn't such a terrible place. That man had been able to make the older feel happy at his lowest times and now the pair were likely to never meet again.

That hurt.

Knowing he would have to spend the rest of his days under control by the person who he hates the most, not even being able to see the beloved face of his true love.

There was no knock to signal Doyoung's entry before the door to Yuta's room simply swung open, the raven haired male walking in, already dressed in his usual formal attire.

"Stop sulking and come get your hair done" He speaks harshly.

"If I said no would you whip me again?" Yuta just sounds defeated at this point. There is nothing he can do to stop Doyoung so what's the point in continuing to play little games with him?

It took losing his father to discover how much mercy he actually had. Part of him wished Mr Nakamoto was still in charge, he never inflicted such harsh punishments. He was a fan of hurting his son mentally...Not physically.

"Probably, if I were you I wouldn't hang around to test the theory" Is all Doyoung says in response. He doesn't make eye contact at all as he just adjusts the cuffs on his business shirt.

"Taeil would be proud. His fiancé has turned into a complete psycho as he was" Yuta remarks bitterly as he pushes past the other, leaving the room.

— — — —

The weapons were ready.

Guns filled with bullets, daggers sharpened, weapon belts secured around the waist as usual.

Everyone had eaten but only lightly, not wanting to risk having their stomachs churning due to all the exercise they would no doubt be committing today.

They had gone through the plane at least five times over the small meal. Everyone knew it like the back of their hand at this point.   
They were about to head out to the trucks and make their way to the destined location yet they were interrupted as Taeyong spoke up.

"If anything goes wrong," He begins solemnly. "I just want to thank you all for coming this far with me. You have all risked your lives by following under my lead and you've all done so well. Your parents would all be beyond proud."

"You aren't dying Taeyong" Lucas chuckles softly, completely diminishing the emotional atmosphere which the older had established.

"No one is. Nothing is going to go wrong today" Jaehyun assure the silver haired male as he gently kisses his left temple before making his way outside, everyone following behind.

They all get into their respected vehicles, making their way back to the place they'd spent so long running away from. They'd left just after dawn, making sure they had plenty of time to get back. It took them a few days to get here the first time yet that was due to them having to stop constantly. This was a one way trip with no planned pit stops.

Arriving at the place where they had escaped a few days prior almost sends chills down the spines of all the escapees as they pull up their trucks beside the other ones.

Jaehyun goes to step out of the truck but is stopped as Taeyong places a hand on his thigh. The brown haired male slowly turns to face him, smiling softly as their gazes meet.

"Stay safe out there okay?" Taeyong says, his tone filled with concern.

"Only if you do" Jaehyun retorts with a smile which showcases his dimples.

The pair's moment is interrupted as Sicheng knocks on the window to their truck. Both are slightly startled by this, immediately moving to get out of their vehicle where they all circle together.

"Someone is surely going to notice us if we just stay here" Sicheng mutters. "We need to get started with the whole hiding in the crowd thing."

"Everyone be careful" Is the last thing Taeyong manages to share before dissolving into the crowd of the public alongside Lucas and Jungwoo.

Jaehyun clenches his jaw before following Sicheng into the crowd of all the rushing people. It doesn't take long for the pair to be pushed against one another as they attempt to make their way through the crowd which is only growing. There is hardly any breathing space let alone space to walk through all these people.

Sicheng and Jaehyun are only what seems to be a few metres from the centre of attention, the stage all set with a podium and everything when the crowd suddenly silences.

No one has to wait long to figure out why as they all spot the familiar raven haired male, confidently walking over to the podium.

His expression doesn't falter as he just grins toward the entire audience, eyes glazing over as all the faces just seem to blend together, anything's that makes them individual begins to bleed together as he begins his speech.

"It's wonderful to see you all here on this beautiful day" He speaks with pride, the perfect tone for such a sinister man. "For nearly 30 years we have had monsters knocking on our doors, constantly trying to worm their ways inside and take away our lives. For nearly 30 years we haven't been able to call this world our home."

Jaehyun's heart begins to beat quite fast as he hears the words of the raven haired male. Speaking of the devil, he pulls the microphone off the podium and begins to pace the stage as he continues to talk.

"During this period I have been working hard alongside my..." He pauses in his trail of thought as he tries to think of how to phrase this properly. "My former fiancé. We began to train the children of our world in a project we called, Plan 100."

He stands at the end of the stage, head low, gaze near where Sicheng and Jaehyun stand.

"This seemed to work really well, that was until I lost my fiancé due to the man who we worked for. Mr Nakamoto was not in fact working to save us. In fact he managed to trick us all into thinking this apocalypse was just a mere natural defect. Yet he was the one who created the entire thing."

A joint gasp emits from the crowd as this is spoken.

"I found it my duty to dispose of my dear old boss. I locked him away where he would no longer be able to control anything. He lost all his power, he was shut off completely. Yet his son still remained."

The puzzled looks on everyone's features don't even cause for the raven haired male to hesitate in his choice of words.

"His son has always despised him. For the longest amount of time, I believed he was an impudent boy but not I have come to realise that maybe I should have been listening to him all along. So here comes the day where I bring him forth to you all as our new King. He will help us rise from the ashes, trust me, we will be safe with him ruling over us."

Jaehyun feels his heart sunk as the raven haired male moves his gaze up to meet his. His expression only changes for a brief moment before his original smile returns once more.

Doyoung saw him.

He knows they're there.

"So now I ask you all to wait here for the arrival of your beloved King, Nakamoto Yuta" The raven haired male announces proudly as he removes himself from the stage, placing the microphone back at the podium.

Jaehyun tries to alert Sicheng that they've been seen yet the other won't budge his concentration away from the stage as someone all too familiar to them walks out onto it.

The blond haired male wears a suit with a white jacket as he walks up to the podium. He limps ever so slightly as he makes his way over to the stand which he immediately grips either side of, for support to keep him on his feet.

He looks as though he has seen better days. Whilst there are no physical wounds evident on his face, his gaze is filled with pain, eyes glassy as they struggle to hold back on tears.

Sicheng lets out a broken gasp as he sees his boyfriend standing not too far away. Seeing him in this kind of state makes him want to crawl up onto that god damned stage and alive Doyoung's neck this very moment.

There is a crown which sits delicately on top of Yuta's perfectly groomed hair as he just stands still, admiring the wooden surface of the podium before him, just taking time to breathe.

The King couldn't believe he was standing before all these people, giving them false hope in himself. They were all hoping he would be able to successfully stop the apocalypse, that he would save them.

Yet he was just going to be Doyoung's puppet.

Little did they know, the apocalypse won't be ending anytime soon.

At least not whilst Doyoung still breathes.

Slowly he raises his gaze up to look at the people before him. His eyes start to glaze over as all the faces start to blend together but he halts as he picks out a face which he would be able to recognise from miles away.

But surely not...They wouldn't be so stupid.

Would they?

They can't save him, it's too late.

Doyoung has this whole thing set up perfectly, he will kill them if he sees them.

Yuta's lip begins to tremble as he meets the gaze of his one and only love, Sicheng. The other cups a hand over his mouth as he just stares back at him, eyes filled with hurt and anger yet at the same time...relief.

"So I'm the King now huh" The blonde haired male chuckles into the mic. He didn't prepare a speech. Doyoung told him to but he didn't listen.

"This whole apocalypse was a disaster spawned by my terrible father whom I hope you all understand had absolutely no influence on me. I don't believe in hurting several generations in hopes that it will restore our world."

The blond haired male stiffly tries to straighten his posture, doing his best to not wince at the severe pain which shoots down his back.

"He told me it was to get rid of the murderous population which we shared our footsteps with 30 years ago. Apparently genocide, the apocalypse, was the solution."

Jaehyun slowly turns his head to gaze around the public. Most gazes are starting to turn to ones filled with hope as they listen to their King speaking.

Sicheng nudges the brown haired male's side, signalling that its time to move to the stage.

"Mr Nakamoto believed he could play God with you all. He even took my mother away from me. She was the only one with any sense at all in that home of mine yet he took her away from me."

Yuta's words are still heard loud and clear as Sicheng and Jaehyun push their way to the front row. Taeyong, Lucas and Jungwoo notice their movements, making their way to their respected locations.

Now they're just waiting for the moment which the others step foot onto that stage.

"If it were up to me, my father should have been the one to die. Not all these innocent people. And look at the monsters which he created? Something which we only ever saw in video games and movies, something so terrifying, he managed to bring to life and it just...I'm humiliated to be the son of someone like that."

Jaehyun places his hands on the edge of the stage, preparing to lift himself up onto it, Sicheng doing the same.

Doyoung watches from the corner of the stage as this plays out. He moved back onto the stage soon after the King entered, knowing the escapees would be too fixated on their friend to notice him.

He doesn't say anything as he just fiddles with the remote in his hand. The remote for the chip within Yuta's body. He is merely waiting for the right time to trigger it.

"I will figure out how to destroy every single monster and bring back humanity. I am going to erase all of my father's work. I promise you all. Someone must stop the monsters who have taken over what we used to call home. That someone is me."

'Now' Sicheng mouths at Jaehyun before they both pull themselves up onto the stage.

Taeyong and the others instantly move to take out the surrounding guards. Sicheng and Jaehyun move to claim their King yet they freeze as they both notice Doyoung standing from his seat at the corner of the stage.

Holding the remote high, the raven haired male just grins as he presses down the switch.

It takes a moment for it to click for the two others. It isn't until they hear the piercing screams from the people that they realise what has happened.

They both turn their heads in time to see Yuta pulling his hand away from his nose, revealing its covered in blood. In fact, blood has begun to pour from his eyes as well as his nose, slowing starting to trickle down from his mouth.

His chip has been activated.

"No" Sicheng mutters as he rushes over to his boyfriend.

The King collapses to the ground just as the other reaches his side. Sicheng cups his face in his hands, tears already streaming down his face as he looks into the eyes of the blond male before him.

"I'm sorry" Yuta whispers, cupping Sicheng's hand with his own bloodied hand.

He says nothing else as his hand falls limp, thudding as it crashes onto the ground. His eyes remain open, looking straight at Sicheng as his eyelids no longer blink.

He's dead.

The dark haired male shakes his head rapidly as he shakes the deceased male. Crying out for him to stop acting, he pleads for his boyfriend to wake up.

The blood has painted most of Yuta's suit red as well as Socheng's arms.

"Grief doesn't suit you" Doyoung remarks simply as he drops the remote to the floor.

Angered, Jaehyun rushes over to the raven haired male, dagger drawn from his belt, ready for use.

Yet he never makes contact with the older as he finds himself being pushed aside, Enough force being used to send him crashing down onto the ground.

He looks up to see who stopped him and hesitated as he notices a monster has made its way onto the stage. Yet this monster is someone who Jaehyun witnessed the death of.

"T-Taeil?" Doyoung's time begins to waver as he stares at the red haired monster that stands before him. The monster grunts as it opens it's four flower-esque mandibles wide.

The raven haired male shakes his own head slowly as he seems to be attempting to convince himself that the person before him is not love of his life.

Jaehyun notices him raising his hands in surrender as he slowly takes a step towards him.

"Taeil ah" The raven haired male calls his name. "It's me. Doyoung. We're going to paint the roses red remember?"

The monster doesn't move as the person before him just continues to walk in its direction.

Jaehyun turns to look into the audience, most of the crowd have evacuated, making it easy for him to pick out Taeyong. The silver haired male has visibly killed all the guards on his end.

He stands, trembling as he witnesses the sight of his friend's body on the stage, in Sicheng's grip still.

"Tell me you're still in there, Taeil please" Doyoung starts to cry.

The monster just growls as the raven haired male gets too close. Drawing its hand back, it's quick to slash away at the male before it. It's bladed hands manage to would the raven haired male's chest and torso.

Doyoung is sent back several steps and he clutched at the blood which drips through his now ripped shirt. Looking down at the red liquid, it seems to click for him that this is intact a monster. 

His Taeil is gone.

Jaehyun moves to be standing once more as he places his dagger in his hand once more. He wants to be ready to stop the monster from taking Doyoung's life if he needs to.

Yet the raven haired male doesn't seem to be that weak as he closes his eyes, smiling through the pain, the male snaps them open once more and mutters something before rushing towards the monster.

He swings his right arm across his body before slicing away at Taeil's neck with a long dagger which is now visible in his hand. The monster let's put a loud roar, it's four flower-esque mandibles opening wide yet again as it's head beacons to fall backward.

"I'm so sorry" Doyoung cries out, the pain clearly evident as he swings again, decapitating the monster in his fiancé's skin.

Killing him.

The raven haired male drops the weapon, falling to his knees as he clutches into his wounds.

Jaehyun barely has time to drop his own dagger as he notices Taeyong rushing onto the stage. The silver haired male throws himself at Doyoung, pressing the tip of his blade into the raven haired male's neck.

"Do it" The other mutters bitterly as he makes eye contact with the one holding the blade.

Jaehyun calmly walks over to the pair and pulls Taeyong away. The silver haired male thrashes in his grip but soon stops as the wound in his shoulder tears open once more, making it too painful to fight against his lover.

"We can't kill him" The brown haired male speaks with only resentment. "We need him."

"What could we possibly need him for? He killed Yuta, Jae! Or were you not paying attention?!" Taeyong yells harshly.

"We need him to get back your brother Taeyong. We can't use Yuta anymore. Doyoung is our only option. We can kill him straight away afterwards" Jaehyun explains quietly.

"I'm sure we can come up with another plan" The older does not want to allow for the raven haired male to continue breathing any longer.

"The only way to save your brother is with Doyoung's help. As much as I hate the idea, you should understand better then anyone that it's the only way" The younger gently squeezes the older's arm in reassurance.

"Fine" The older finally agrees. "As soon as Jisung is back with us, Doyoung dies."

Taeyong glares at the raven haired male one more time before making his way over to Yuta's body, which Sicheng can't pull himself away from.

"You heard him," Jaehyun slowly walks over to Doyoung, who has fallen back to his knees. "You're going to die soon."

He doesn't hold back as he uses the handle of his dagger to hit the side of the male's head, causing him to fall unconscious.


	18. Chapter 18

TWO DAYS AFTER THE CORONATION

Jisung couldn't help but frown as he flipped the coin onto the surface of the table before him, again and again. The only sound in the entire room was that if the coin as it landed on the metal surface.

All the tables in this place were made of metal. Someone explained why none were wooden yet Jisung can't seem to remember why. Half the time when people are speaking to him, he can't help but tune out.

He missed his brother.

He fell into an almost depressive state within hours of waking up in this strange place. Everyone had strange accents and nothing was even vaguely similar to what he had remembered from the other institute.

His brother's name was the first word which escaped his lips once he opened his eyes. It had felt as though the entire world had been turned upside down when he had learned that he had been moved to the London Institute.

Jisung was never given updates on his brother yet he was able to hear about him briefly on the news which he eavesdropped in on the other day. Apparently his brother had escaped the institute alongside a small handful of other people.

Jisung couldn't help but feel a slight feeling of relief when he saw this as he as expecting for his brother to come and rescue him. Yet at the same time he was concerned as it meant Doyoung and Taeil were after him and those two had always been ruthless.

The young boy is interrupted from his thoughts as he suddenly hears footsteps approaching his room. He has become quite identifying who is on there way simply by the sound of their footsteps.

Yet he doesn't quite recognise this person's movements.

Dropping his coin, he can hear them whistling a tune beneath their breath as their steps begin to creep closer to his door. There's something that's familiar about the tune. Yet Jisung can't quite figure it out.

The stranger's footsteps come to a sudden halt just outside his door. He hears the door handle turning yet the door doesn't open. There is just dead silence as the stranger audibly mutters beneath his breath.

"He should've thought about that before hitting me."

Before Jisung even has a chance to stand, the door to his room is kicked off its hinges. He lets out a whimper as he rushes to stand from his seat, running to the far wall of the room.

The man standing in the doorway isn't too tall as he adorns a completely black outfit, even a black dust mask on his face to keep his identity sealed.

Jisung has no idea who it is.

"Does it speak?" The male before him questions in a sing song tone as he tilts his head to the side.

"Who are you?" Jisung's voice trembles with fear as the dark haired male begins to walk closer.

"That's exciting. I see the newbie didn't screw up and make you a cripple with his little brain surgery" The crazed man chuckles to himself as he stops in his track, at arms distance from the boy.

"You needn't know my identity, Lee Jisung. You just rest my dear boy."

Jisung goes to raise his voice one last time yet he is stopped as the stranger reaches forward, placing both hands on his head as he snaps the boy's neck, instantly killing him.

"God damn it" The dark haired male curses as he clutches his bandaged hand, noticing it has bled through the bandage again.

"Where's Hendery when you need him?"

— — — —

Taeyong had no idea where to even begin.

He needed to save his brother but how? He had Doyoung to utilise for this task but it still wouldn't be that simple. The raven haired male was more than pleased to admit that it would take a few days as he would have to send in a request then wait for it to be approved.

Taeyong didn't have that kind of time.

Apparently the governments from other parts of the world have heard news of Yuta's death. They are sending in their most powerful and trusted men to assess the area and decide whether they should rule or just obliterate the area.

The silvered haired male has no intentions to remain whilst they source out the area.

"Where are we going to even go?" Jaehyun asks softly as the older paces before him.

They are in what used to be Mr Nakamoto's office, Doyoung is in restraints against the wall as he just watches on with a broken glance. The usual power and authority to him has completely diminished.

Killing Taeil's monster seems to have broken him.

"I don't know. I really don't know, Jae" Taeyong stresses to his lover, his voice wavering slightly. "I just know we need to get out of here and we need to get my brother."

"Aren't you just a great leader" Doyoung chuckles to himself.

The silver haired male pauses in his steps as he turns his head to stared harshly at the dark haired male. He walks over to him, crouching just before him, he roughly grabs him by the collar of his shirt and lifts him off the wall.

"Why don't you share you're bright ideas, huh?" He questions quite bitterly.

"How can I help? I'm just the crazy man who does all the paperwork" Doyoung looks the other straight in the eye as he says this.

Jaehyun moves over to his lover, grabbing the silver haired male's arm he gently pulls him away. He places his hands on his shoulders and forces the older to meet his gaze.

"The world is broken, no matter where we go there are monsters everywhere. Our safest bet would be some other institute but one that isn't ruled by people who've lost their sanity."

"Is there such thing? All work from Plan 100 don't they?" Taeyong is hesitant to agree with the brown haired male's words.

Mr Nakamoto was able to transfer his plan across the globe, causing for everyone to initiate his so called 'genius' plan.

"Peaceful institutions exist" Doyoung suddenly speaks up again. A silence fills the room as all attention goes to the raven haired male who's eyes are now closed, making no effort to be opened.

"It's in London actually. On the opposite end to where your brother is. It's run by a fellow who goes by the name of Cha Hakyeon. When this whole thing broke out, he set a goal to save as many people as he could. Women, children and men. All he could get his grasp on were welcome to stay inside his borders on the one condition which was that they wouldn't participate in any violence. That place is about as sane minded as you'll get. He has a pretty good army too."

Taeyong and Jaehyun meet each other's gaze once more as they silently agree that this sounds like the type of place they'd want to go to.

"How do we get there?" They both ask simultaneously.

"Ask Kun. He was sent to us from there. He got expelled due to 'violent behaviour.'" Doyoung replies with a smirk.

Kun.

Jaehyun has nearly forgotten that name. He hasn't seen that instructor since his first and only training session. He wasn't outside when the coronation took place...

Nothing more is said before Taeyong pulls himself away from Jaehyun's hands, rushing to pull Doyoung onto his feet, causing for his eyes to snap wide open.

"Take us to him."

The raven haired male doesn't respond but begins to walk down the halls and makes his way to the boarding facilities of the building.

"Doyoung?!" A familiar female voice calls out just as they go to open the door to the men's section.

"Hyuna?" The raven haired male sounds surprised as he turns around to see the woman standing before him. Her tears glisten from the tears as she stands before them. She sees Taeyong and Jaehyun, their weapon belts clearly visible, which sends a shock of fear through her.

"The K-King, he's d-dead" She cries out, clutching to her chest. She was standing just to the side of the stage when the dearest King who was meant to save them all bled from his eyes, nose and mouth.

Doyoung opens his mouth to say something yet is interrupted as a bang echoes through the corridor.

Hyuna pauses as she looks down to see the bloodied patch slowly forming over her stomach. She lets out one last strangled sob before collapsing to the floor, motionless with eyes wide open in fear.

All eyes raise up to see a familiar blonde haired male standing, arm still extended outwards as he aims the gun.

"Now why would you do that, Kun? She was only ever faithful" Doyoung sounds highly irritated as he sees his fellow instructor.

"She told Yuta about the phone in his father's office. She's the reason the escapees broke in. I don't understand how that is being faithful" Is all Kun says in response.

Jaehyun moves to draw his own weapon yet he is too slow as Kun simply moves to aim his gun at the brown haired male. The younger opts to raise his hands in surrender as he takes in a long and steady breath.

"There's no point in putting up a fight now," Taeyong speaks firmly. "We have Doyoung under our control. All you need to do is tell us how to get to Hakyeon's institute and we will leave you alone."

Kun scoffs at the mentioning of this place. Almost as though it has become a great joke to him.

"Dear Cha Hakyeon. Yeah I could tell you how to get to his grave. I didn't realise you two were close."

The confused expressions on all their faces excluding Doyoung's says it all for the blonde haired instructor.

"Bunny boy didn't tell you why I got expelled from there?"

Taeyong turns to lock eyes with the raven haired male who is smirking with his head hung low.

"Kun was expelled due to committing an act of violence. That violence just happened to be murdering the head of the place." Doyoung explains.

"It is now ruled by someone who goes by the name of Wonshik and he is about as crazy as one can get" Kun adds to this.

Taeyong does his best to hide the concern from his features as he hears this. That place was their one and only hope yet now it has slipped through his fingers.

"I suggest you let go of Doyoung before I blow your brains out" Kun now directs his gun to the silver haired male's head.

Jaehyun instantly panics. His thoughts race as he tries to think of how he can stop this. The instructor to far away for him to be able to get across to him unnoticed. He would get shot. And he can't draw his weapon fast enough which basically leaves him with one option.

"I love you, Taeyong" The younger mutters softly, just loud enough for the silver haired male to hear.

The older immediately catches on to what the younger is planning as he turns to look at him, fear plastered on his face. Jaehyun no longer hesitated as he moves to draw his gun from his weapons belt. Before he has managed to grasp the handle of the weapon, a bang sounds as Kun fires his gun.

Taeyong screams the younger's name.

Pain.

He expects to feel pain, yet he feels nothing at all as he just stands with his eyes closed.

Air.

He's still breathing?

Jaehyun slowly opens his eyes to see Kun is no longer standing before him with his gun raised, yet he has fallen to floor, blood pools around his hair, slowly dying his hair.

It takes a few moments for him to realise that Sicheng is standing with a bloodied dagger in his hands. He sliced the instructor's neck.

Who got shot? The bulletin went off and Kun never misses, surely Sicheng wasn't that fast...was he?

That's when it sinks in. Jaehyun lowers his gaze to notice the silver haired older on the floor in front of him.

"TAEYONG!" He screams his name as he crashes onto his knees before the older. He turns the other to be on his back, noticing the blood which has started to pool around his stomach.

"No, no, no, you aren't going to die on me. Lee Taeyong don't you dare leave me" Jaehyun pleads as he starts to cry, not being able to hold back the tears which managed to appear from nowhere.

The older remains limp in his arms, showing no sign of waking up.

"Please" Jaehyun trembles violently as he caresses the older's cheek, smearing traces of blood against the pale skin. "Wake up."

Suddenly the older starts to cough, spatters of blood coming from his mouth cover the floor as he leans on his side in the younger's embrace.

"V-Vest" He chokes out but it's enough for Jaehyun to understand.

The younger reaches around the older's back and manages to take hold of a clip which he undoes. Immediately something beneath Taeyong's shirt shifts. He untucks the clothing as he pulls the padding out from beneath it.

The fool was wearing a bullet proof vest which only covered his front. How had Jaehyun not noticed this?

"We filled the vests with fake blood to fool the enemy to leave us alone if we got injured" Doyoung states, to no one in particular.

Taeyong manages to stop coughing just in time for the brown haired male to pull him into a crushing hug. He doesn't say anything and just happily wraps his arms around him tightly.

"Why didn't you tell me?! Why would you scare me like that?!" The younger's voice wavers like crazy as he tries to calm down his tears.

"I spoke to Doyoung earlier and warned me of Kun. He led me to the location of the last remaining vest and told me to make sure I was the one who received that bullet." Taeyong explains simply.

"I hate you so much" Jaehyun emits a soft chuckle as he pulls back to examine the face of his lover. He's alive. He isn't dead. Taeyong's alive.

"There's a helicopter on the roof. We should leave for the central airport where we can hijack Mr Nakamoto's private jet and go to London. The other's in power will be arriving tomorrow" Doyoung interrupts the couple's happy reunion.

Jaehyun helps the silver haired male to his feet as Sicheng makes his way over to stand beside them both.

"Let's get going" Is all Taeyong says.

"Wait" Sicheng mutters just as they go to take Doyoung by the elbow once more. "Who can fly a plane?"

Doyoung just smirks to himself.

— — — —

Taeil was one to teach Doyoung whatever he felt was necessary for the raven haired male's survival. One of the things he taught was how to fly a plane.

Granted, he hadn't done so in quite a while, but Doyoung was able to remember it well enough to take everyone to London. It took a lot of convincing to get Taeyong to remove his restraints.

Yet it seemed to be a fair deal as the silver haired male sat in the co-pilot's seat the entire time.

Before leaving the safety of the plane, Doyoung had to freshen up and not look as though he had been beaten and bruised, as though he wasn't broken.

The institute would never let him in otherwise.

"What will you say?" Taeyong asks for him to rehearse his lines as he watches the raven haired male washing his face with cold water and soap.

They landed the plane on an open space which was next door to the institute. Due to the plane bearing Mr Nakamoto's symbol across the side, the institute shouldn't investigate and will hopefully wait for whoever is inside to come out.

"I'll tell them there has been a change in plans and Jisung needs to return with me back to our own institute" Doyoung speaks his lines simply.

Nodding, the silver haired male just remains silent as the male before him dries his face off on the hand towel. Having finished cleaning up, Doyoung has managed to bring back his look of authority as he straightens his tie.

Taeyong steps aside as he gives room for the raven haired male to leave the space first. Jaehyun and the others are all standing in the main area of the plane as they watch Doyoung with a close eye.

He gets to the door of the plane and there is a moment where he pauses as the others all turn to Taeyong to see how they should respond.

"We have enough fuel to keep us in the air for another 15 hours. Get my brother and then we will flee as far as we can" The silver haired male reiterates.

Doyoung just nods firmly, undoing the latch on the door, causing for it to swing open, the stairs unfold until they hit the ground. The raven haired male takes one final look at them all before exiting the plane.

As soon as his two feet meet the ground, Taeyong pulls the stairs back up and closes the door. They must wait in the jet for Doyoung's swift return.

Usually it would take a few days to get approval but after managing to get Doyoung to cooperate with Kun somehow, the raven haired male revealed he held a few tricks up his sleeve which meant he could get his brother sooner.

Interrupting him from his thoughts, Jaehyun suddenly takes his hand, pulling him to crash against his body as he presses his lips to his. The kids is filled with passion and there's an underwhelming sense of need as the two hold onto each other.

Too soon, Jaehyun pulls away as he moves his hands to caress the older's face in his hands.

"We're doing it. We're getting him back."

"I miss that kid" Lucas chirps up from where he recently took a seat towards the rear of the plane. Jungwoo doesn't say anything as he just stares out the window. He has never met Jisung before. All he knows is that he is Taeyong's brother. Whilst Sicheng has tears silently streaming down his cheeks, still mourning for his boyfriend.

He looks down at the ring in his hand. It was the ring which Yuta always wore on his pointer finger. As a child, his mother has it made more him to wear once he grew to be a man. Sicheng took it from his body to keep as a constant reminder of what he had lost.

Taeyong lets a small smile spread across his face as he finally allows for this to sink in. They are in London, Jisung is coming back and he will be awake and well.

For the first time in 3 years.

Yet his thoughts of joy come to a crashing halt as the door to the jet is suddenly ripped from its hinges. Everyone who is seated jumps to their feet whilst Taeyong draws his gun.

Everyone gazed at the opened doorway, eager to see who is entering yet no one does. Instead something is thrown onto the jet. Jaehyun steps around his lover as he slowly steps toward the small black object.

Just as he goes to pick it up, he recognises the object to be a makeshift bomb.

He turns around as quickly he can and rushes to push Taeyong to the ground, covering the older with his body as the explosive goes off.

— — — —

The first thing they hear is someone whistling beneath their breath before even opening their eyes. No words are being spoken yet the tone being whistled sounds so familiar.

"They've gotten stronger since my clone died. How interesting" The man eventually says softly.

"They were quite eager to save their King, yet they failed of course" A voice which Jaehyun immediately recognised as Doyoung's pipes up.

"Stupid, stupid boys." This voice makes Taeyong want to jump and slice at his throat. Mr Nakamoto's voice had never resonated well with him and especially not now.

Each of them were hurting as they felt they were laying on the ground, hands and legs tied securely in attempts to keep them from escaping.

"Can I call dibs on telling Taeyong about his brother? About the sound his neck made when I broke it?" The familiar voice speaks again, this being enough to make the silver haired male snap his eyes open.

His heart sinks as he sees the male before him. He shot this person between the eyes. He's dead, he's not alive. He was a monster.

"Ahhhh Taeyongie" Taeil chirps in his typical singsong voice. "Miss me?"

Doyoung has his hands shoved deep in his pockets as he just looks down at the silver haired male with a smug look upon his face. Mr Nakamoto has his hands behind his back as he just watched on.

Taeil's hair has returned to being a darkened black shade as he rocks back on forth on both feet. Jaehyun slowly opens his eyes and frowns as he notices the crowd before them.

Jungwoo, Lucas and Sicheng are yet to awaken.

All have cuts scattered across their faces and basically any skin which was exposed at the time of the explosion. They are all covered in ash, blood and Jaehyun can even see a few shards of glass in his left leg.

"You killed my brother?" Taeyong stutters in shock.

"I did" Taeil clasps his hands together in joy. "It was quite an enjoyable experience if I must say so myself."

"You're sick" The silver haired male's voice breaks as he struggles to hold back onto the overwhelming wave of emotion which starts to drown him.

Taeil doesn't allow for him to say anything else as he pulls a dagger from his belt, hitting Taeyong's temple with the handle, knocking the silver haired male unconscious.

Jaehyun feels to weak to say anything yet his expression says it all as his eyes widen at the sight of his liver being injured again.

Taeil walks over to him and crouched before him, grin plastered on his face.

"We are going to have so much fun."

He says gleefully before sending Jaehyun into a world of darkness.


End file.
